Resistance of mosquitoes to insecticides worries medic
A medical practitioner, Dr. Charles Nderigbara, has expressed worry about some species of mosquitoes that are resistant to malaria control tools, such as insecticides.
Nderigbara, who is also the Head Corporate Social Responsibility Health, Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, stated this at an anti-malaria intervention programme held in Lagos.
The Development Africa, Total Nigeria Limited and the Lagos State Ministry of Health organised the programme.
Recent surveys of some malaria endemic communities in the country, he said, showed an emergence of some parasites resistant to anti-malarial drugs and insecticides.
Nderigbara said, “It will be trite to say that malaria remains one of the highest causes of deaths, especially in sub-Sahara Africa. It has become even more worrisome as recent discoveries have shown that parasites have begun to show resistance to anti-malarial medicines, just as mosquitoes have begun to show resistance to insecticides.
“One of the lessons the resistance has brought to the fore is that more resources need to be committed to the fight against malaria, particularly in research and prevention. And with the increasingly lean resources due to the slump in oil price in the global market, the government alone cannot successfully win the fight against malaria,”
To complement efforts in malaria control, Nderigbara stated that the organisation would be distributing over 1,800 Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets and rapid diagnostic kits to many public health facilities in the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, represented by the Head of Roll Back Malaria Programme, Dr. Abimbola Osinowo, stated that there was a need to sustain the campaign against malaria.
She advised residents to observe the weekly environmental sanitation day to keep their communities clean.
Oshinowo said, “It is important that we all keep a clean environment and shun habits that will allow mosquitoes to breed and survive thereby causing harm.”
PUNCH.
