Lagos State Health District IV Joins Nationwide Push For 2026 World Malaria Day
On this World Malaria Day, Dr. Abimbola Bowale, Permanent Secretary of Lagos State Health District IV, aligns with the global theme: Driven to End Malaria. This year’s theme calls for urgent action to end malaria.
Malaria, also known as Plasmodium infection, is a disease caused by Plasmodium parasites transmitted through the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
Its severity depends on the species of Plasmodium.
The most dangerous is Plasmodium falciparum, which is most likely to cause severe malaria and death.
Malaria parasites are very common in Africa, where the continent is the most affected due to a combination of factors, including highly efficient mosquitoes that drive transmission.
Malaria is endemic in most African countries and poses a life-threatening condition, exacerbated by poverty, which leads to unsanitary living conditions and disease outbreaks.
People with malaria typically experience high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness. Although malaria can be deadly, illness and death are usually preventable with proper measures.
In the United States, outbreaks of locally transmitted cases have been small and isolated, but the potential for re-emergence exists due to abundant competent vectors, especially in southern states.
Globally, malaria threatens nearly half the world’s population, and recent U.S. literature highlights gaps in understanding risks for local outbreaks.
In Lagos State public health facilities, malaria accounts for more than 70% of outpatient visits.
Over 700,000 cases are reported annually, with thousands more seen in private and government facilities.
Malaria is a serious disease spread by bites from mosquitoes infected with tiny parasites.
The mosquito injects these parasites into the bloodstream—malaria is caused by parasites, not viruses or bacteria. If untreated, it can lead to severe complications like seizures, brain damage, breathing difficulties, and death.
It is common in tropical areas with hot, humid climates and occurs most often in developing countries with warm temperatures and high moisture.
Dr. Sotunde Oludolapo, Director of Medical Services and Disease Control at Lagos State Health District IV, emphasized that malaria is preventable and treatable.
She advised sleeping under insecticide-treated nets, maintaining a clean environment to prevent mosquito breeding, and urged pregnant women to attend antenatal care (ANC) and receive intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp).
She noted: “Now we can end malaria—and now we must end malaria.”