Nigerian Government Commits $1.2B for Malaria Control Efforts

The Nigerian government has allocated 150 billion Nigerian nairas, or about $1.2 billion, for malaria control efforts over the next three years, Minister of Health Hassan Lawal said at a recent press briefing ahead of World Malaria Day, This Day reports. The funds will be used to bolster mosquito control initiatives, Lawal said. He added that the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, will develop environmental management programs, such as home inspections and sanitation initiatives conducted monthly nationwide.

According to Lawal, malaria is responsible for one in four deaths among children under age five and one in ten deaths among pregnant women. He added that the disease has become a strain on Nigeria's economy. To address the situation, the country has provided malaria drugs to pregnant women and children nationwide and has distributed more than 15 million insecticide-treated nets to about six million households, Lawal said (Nzeshi, This Day, 4/21).