Nearly everyone in Nigeria today, irrespective of social class, agrees that malaria is a menace to the citizens. There is hardly a family in this country that is without a member who has suffered from this common but dangerous ailment. According to the site the Borgen Project, Malaria accounts for 30% of infant mortality and 11% of mortality cases, respectively. Nigeria is responsible for 31.9% of global malaria deaths in 2020, ranking as the most malaria burdened nation in Africa.

Why Malaria is Severe in Nigeria 

About 218 million people live in Nigeria, according to Wikipedia. In spite of that, the poverty rate is on the alarming side. The following are some of the reasons for the increase in the rate of malaria in Nigeria. 

Four kinds of protozoa cause malaria. They are as follows.

Plasmodium Vivax which is more prevalent in low endemic areas, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium falciparum which is the most dangerous of the four. These dangerous organisms thrive when the following conditions prevail. 

Weather Conditions

Nigeria is one of the countries with extreme tropical variations in weather conditions. These weathers are basically rainy and dry seasons. Change in weather was responsible for 6% of malaria cases  in some low and middle-income countries in the year 2000. The rainy season in Nigeria is usually between April and November every year, a period during which there is a statistically proven increase in the rate of malaria infection. 

Overcrowded Living Conditions

One of the most talked about but the least achieved works in Nigeria is housing. Government after government keeps reeling out the problems but never finds a solution to the problem. This has led to a horrifying level of homelessness, destitution and crowding. The inability of the government to spread development to the rural areas also lends justification to the migration and crowding of the urban centers. 

Overcrowded spaces aid disease outbreaks and increase the risk of malaria because higher concentrations of carbon dioxide and other chemicals in crowded houses attract mosquitoes. In addition, reports suggest that poorly ventilated dwellings allow mosquitoes to enter more easily than well-constructed housing with screened windows, thus increasing disease transmission .

Poverty and Inadequate Access to Standard Health Facilities

Poverty has a strong relationship with health. Once a person is poor, they live in squalid environments, consume what they see and become vulnerable to the attacks of diseases like malaria and typhoid. People’s livelihoods cannot be divorced from their means. Living a healthy life costs money. For instance, buying insecticides costs money. Rural population in Nigeria was 48.04 as of 2020. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.

The rural areas in Nigeria are majorly characterized by abject poverty such that the people are unable to have access to the basic needs of life, including standard health and medical attention. Effects like fumigation, mosquito nets and malaria drugs are not in common supply within the rural settlements. There are other habits which contribute to the escalation of malaria in the rural settings. 

As of 2019, the population mostly affected by poverty in Nigeria lived in large households in rural areas. Households in rural areas were generally much more affected than those living in urban areas. For instance, almost 80 percent of people living in households with at least 20 individuals in rural areas lived below the poverty line. According to national standards, an individual with less than 137.4 thousand Nigerian Naira (roughly 361 U.S. dollars) per year is considered poor. Going by this figure, it can be safely deduced that 40.1 percent of the population lived in poverty, nationwide.

Impact of Malaria in Nigeria

According to Malaria in Nigeria: Statistics & Facts | Severe Malaria Observatory, in 2020 alone, malaria accounted for an estimated 199, 689 deaths, of which 1,811 were reported. This is besides the 206, 139, 584 people who were vulnerable. Malaria statistics by country shows that the deaths due to malaria in Nigeria constitute about 31.9 per cent of the global malaria deaths; this is approximately 200,000 deaths in 2021. Over 60 million people are infected yearly and an estimated US$1.1 billion is lost yearly due to malaria related absenteeism and productivity losses. Nigeria is among the top 6 countries that account for ½ half of all the malaria related deaths worldwide. This number cuts across classes, ages, statuses and genders. 

Perhaps one of the scary pieces of information on the malaria scourge in Nigeria is the statistics regarding the infection of children and pregnant women. Malaria, which Is responsible for 20% stillbirths, has the following prevalence rate in sub-Saharan Africa. 20% of pregnant women attending antenatal clinic tested positive for the malaria parasite (Plasmodium Falciparum) as 72% of pregnant women had at some point during their pregnancy suffered malaria infection, because 50% of pregnant women carry the malaria parasite in the placenta without noticing it, which makes them three (3) times more likely to suffer from other severe diseases.  

Solutions to the Problem of Malaria: the AYGF Perspective

Having thoroughly appreciated the danger that malaria portends for the entire nation, the continent and the world at large, Africa Youth Growth Foundation (AYGF), a concerned Non-Governmental Organization has chosen to make its contribution to the developing body of knowledge on the ongoing debate about the suggestions on the permanent fixes to the endemic malaria.

One of the AYGF’s 7 Thematic Areas is health. It is imperative to fully discuss the danger of malaria because of how many people take it for granted. Many of the victims of the disease resort to self-medication as soon as they are told that they have malaria. This method of medication is even more dangerous than the problem itself, in that the victim might trigger another problem through wrong medication. In extreme cases, the victim dies. The AYGF solutions begin from the low hanging fruits of reversing the major causes of malaria highlighted above. 

Housing should be made affordable to everyone, irrespective of their income. Perhaps if the rural areas were made habitable and profitable for the youths, many would rather stay back. For instance, economic, social and recreation amenities such as mortgage to build comfortable houses, roads, rural electrifications, markets and stadia will discourage rural-urban migration. It will go a long way in solving the problem of congestion.

Furthermore, access to medical facilities is a major deal breaker in tackling malaria from diagnosis to medication. This can be achieved by making access to primary healthcare facilities very close to the people. 

Personal hygiene must be taken seriously by everyone. Starting from the food that people eat, the water that they drink, and the treatment of these things must be taken with all seriousness. The surroundings must be rid of stagnant water and grasses because they aid the proliferation of mosquitoes.  

Superstitions must be fought vigorously because it in no small way adds to the complacency, susceptibility and ignorance of the people. For instance, in many remote areas, every time a person is sick, it is an avenue to consult the gods and find out what has made the ancestors angry. This is why many have died avoidable deaths. Education and sensitization are very important in clearing these misconceptions.

Finally, there is the place of increasing the rate of distributing Insecticide treated nets, drugs and free treatment by governments and partners. Monitoring and evaluation are a very key aspect of ensuring that the effects get to the people for whom they are intended.

AYGF is at 4, Ouagadougou Street, Wuse Zone 2, Abuja.