A health advocate, Mrs Funmilayo Braithwaite has called for adequate funding of the health sector as well as investment in manufacturing companies to make malaria drugs available to Nigerians.
Mrs Braithwaite made the call at the formal Launch of her book entitled #EndMalaria in Abuja.
She noted that concern for those people who had lost their lives in Nigeria and Africa owing to malaria parasites spurred her into writing the book.
Mrs. Braithwaite emphasized the need to educate children on proper hygiene as well empower them with the prerequisite knowledge of the causes and preventive measures to take.
“I wrote the book ‘End Malaria’ because I want to put an end to the amount of people that have died because of malaria. The book illustrates the causes, symptoms and prevention measures put in place to eliminate the disease.
“Malaria is very severe but we are non challant about it because we think it’s just malaria.
“In every two minutes, children die of malaria, so I want people to know the symptoms of malaria and proper measure we can take to prevent it ,”She said.
The Chairman Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, who said malaria had shortened the lives of a lot of people especially children in the country called for necessary action to be taking to tackle the parasite.
“Malaria has taken a lot of lives. This is as a result of nonchalant attitudes of the people whereby the show less concerned of their environment, superstition or think it is spiritual without taking proper measure to eradicate the disease,” he said.
National Coordinator, National Malaria Elimination Program, NMEP, Dr. Perpetua Uhoimoibhi, in her keynote address For there to be zero malaria in Nigeria all hands must be on deck to eradicate the parasite.
Highlights of the occasion was donations by dignitaries to support the author.
Among dignitaries include Mallam Saliu Mustapha, the Turaki of Ilorin Emirate, representative from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and representative from the Ministry of Women Affairs, among others.
