Abia State Governor’s wife, Mrs. Priscilla Otti, expressed concern over the high burden of malaria in the state and pledged relentless efforts to achieve zero malaria cases by 2025.
As a Malaria Ambassador to PanAfricare, she emphasized that this goal could be attained through collective action.
During the 2024 World Malaria Day celebration in Abia State, themed “Accelerating the Fight Against Malaria for a More Equitable World,” Mrs. Otti announced the state government’s commitment to bring the new malaria vaccine to Abia upon its arrival in Nigeria.
She stated, “It concerns us to learn that Abia State is currently listed among regions grappling with a high burden of malaria. However, I can assure you that by the time we convene for next year’s Malaria Day commemoration, Abia will have shed this label.
We will labor tirelessly, round the clock, to achieve this goal. We will initiate the distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and engage in vigorous enlightenment campaigns, especially in our rural areas.”
Dr. Ifeyinwa Blossom Uma-Kalu, the Permanent Secretary of the Abia State Ministry of Health, urged accelerated action against malaria for a fairer world.
She illustrated the danger of malaria by recalling an emotional encounter with a billboard in 2013, depicting a mosquito carrying a baby on its back with the inscription in pidgin English: “No let Malaria thief your pikin!”
Abia State is one of the states selected by the World Bank for the implementation of the IMPACT project, a joint commitment of the federal government, some state governments, and the World Bank.
The project aims to promote the uptake of malaria prevention and treatment services, particularly in rural communities where malaria burden is highest in Abia State.
Dr. Madukwe Okechukwu Ojoemena, the IMPACT project director for the PanAfricare field office, explained that the project, funded by the World Bank, aims to address the malaria problem.
PanAfricare won the bid for the project’s execution in collaboration with the state government. They are working in 292 health facilities in the state to train staff on malaria treatment and prevention and to ensure accurate data collection.
Dr. Patrick Adah, the PanAfricare country director, stated that the project, running from 2021 to 2025, with a three-year implementation phase (2023-2025), targets pregnant women and children under five to reduce malaria and infant and maternal mortality.
The project is currently being implemented in about 13 states, with the World Bank overseeing it in five or six
states.
