Nigeria Working On Malaria Vaccine – Fasawe

By: Wisdom Acka & Prudence Okonna

Nigeria is working on producing vaccine against malaria fever.

Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat, FCT Administration, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, disclosed this, Tuesday, while flagging off “unbundling and distribution of malaria drugs and free test kits” in Abuja

Fasawe stressed that Nigeria’s Ministry of Health was working with relevant bodies to achieve production of malaria vaccine that would be used by the country in prevention of the disease.

This is as she revealed that Nigeria was responsible for 27 percent of global malaria prevalence, while the FCT accounts for five percent national malaria prevalence.

The Health Secretary decried that malaria remained a killer of children under five years, and women.

Her words: “Only one thing causes malaria, which is mosquito. If we can eliminate mosquitoes, we can eliminate malaria. Thank God, the network of roads provided by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, have provided access to communities during medical emergencies.”

“Today, we have taken a decisive and deliberate action to fight malaria. Malaria remains a leading cause of death among children under five and women,” she said.

According to her, “Nigeria is responsible for 27 percent of global malaria prevalence, the highest figure in the world. A survey carried out by the World Health Organisation, (WHO) in 2024 says 1.4 million people of the population of FCT suffer from malaria. The FCT is between 5 to 6 million population, making it 5 percent of malaria prevalence.”

The Mandate Secretary revealed that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had already paid the counterpart funding for FCT last year, which enabled them to participate in the malaria unbundling programme this year.

Fasawe vowed that the malaria fight was a fight for life; disclosing that a child dies every minutes due to malaria in Nigeria; stressing that “We want to kick out malaria from the FCT and Nigeria as a whole.”

In the life of the malaria prevention and treatment programme, expected to run for two years, the Health Secretary stated that there was provision of free test kits and free treatment with medicines, with plans for procurement as the need arises.

She warned against selling or pilfering of the medicines and items meant for the programme by public health facilities; threatening that they would be sanctioned.

In his welcome remarks, Acting Permanent Secretary of the Secretariat, Dr. Abubakar Ahmadu, said that the programme would improve access to health care and reduce out of pocket money of the people.

He, therefore, urged health care practitioners to make judicious use of the kits and drugs.

Representative of one of the partners, Famkris Healthcare Initiative, Dr. Maureen Ugochuku, stated that malaria remained Nigeria’s most pressing public health challenge, which reduces financial resources and business hours.

The project was co-funded by the Islamic Development Bank.