Health experts hail 52% decline in Ondo malaria prevalence

By Boye Oyeyemi

Health experts have hailed the reduction in malaria prevalence in Ondo State, with the rate dropping from 27 per cent to 13 per cent following the implementation of the World Bank-supported IMPACT Malaria Project.

The development was disclosed on Monday in Akure at the close-out ceremony of the project, which was implemented by the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria in collaboration with the Ondo State Ministry of Health.

Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka, said the intervention also contributed to a decline in under-five mortality, which fell from 65 to 15 during the project period.

Ajaka said 102 primary health care centres were revitalised across the state, while routine immunisation coverage also improved through the project’s Immunisation Plus component.

He commended the World Bank, IHVN and other partners for their contributions, saying the intervention had strengthened primary health care delivery and improved health outcomes across the state.

The Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of IHVN, Dr. Charles Mensah, attributed the project’s achievements to the commitment of the state government, technical assistance from the World Bank and support from the National Malaria Elimination Programme.

Mensah said about N1.5 billion was invested in the intervention, covering medical commodities, training for health care workers, logistics and other activities carried out across the state.

Also speaking, the World Bank representative, Dr. Pwanedo Nzomisaki, described the decline in malaria prevalence as a major public health achievement and commended the state government and IHVN for their roles in delivering the project’s objectives. Awards of excellence were subsequently presented to some officials involved in the implementation.