Nigerian State Begins Insecticide Spraying Campaign To Control Malaria
Nigeria's Bauchi state on Sunday launched a statewide insecticide spraying campaign to eliminate malaria in the state, Leadership Nigeria reports. According to Rilwanu Muhammad -- executive secretary of Bauchi's Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Malaria, or BACATMA -- the campaign aims to provide sufficient insecticide spraying in residential areas, markets, schools, hospitals and mosquito breeding grounds to control the spread of malaria.
Muhammad said that health workers would target densely populated areas, adding that the agency also plans to conduct similar exercises in towns throughout the state. The state purchased insecticide, sprayers and equipment to carry out the program, he said. According to Muhammad, the insecticide campaign is "part of the strategies adopted by the state government" to address malaria and "enhance health care services at the grassroots level." Muhammad also encouraged residents of Bauchi state to maintain proper environmental and sanitation conditions to contribute to malaria eradication.
According to Muhammad, BACATMA previously distributed more than 61,000 insecticide-treated nets to pregnant women and children in several areas of the state. In addition, the agency collaborated with the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the World Bank to provide more than 441,000 doses of malaria drugs to local health centers. BACATMA has trained 45 doctors and 40 pharmacists on malaria case management and trained more than 260 health workers on the World Bank's Malaria Control Booster Program, Muhammad said. He added that the agency has established malaria control offices in 20 localities to enhance disease monitoring and evaluation. According to Leadership Nigeria, Bauchi state recorded 138,000 malaria cases and 394 malaria deaths in 2008 (Nan, Leadership Nigeria, 3/9).
