The Ondo State Government, in collaboration with the Federal Government, is set to distribute a total of 3.6 million Insecticide-Treated Nets across the state, in a bid to prevent malaria.
Specifically, it was gathered that the programme was in partnership with the National Malaria Elimination Programme of the FG and the Malaria Consortium.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka, who spoke on Thursday in Akure during a media orientation on the 2025 Insecticide-Treated Nets campaign in the state, said the malaria campaign was necessary to prevent the disease, urging media organisations to intensify their support for anti-malaria programmes.
He said, “In order to reduce the burden of malaria in the state, the State’s Ministry of Health Malaria Elimination Programme, in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Programme, Malaria Consortium, is to distribute over 3.6 million INTs to every household.
“Sleeping inside an ITN is one of the best ways to prevent malaria, as studies show that the use of ITNs reduces malaria incidence by 50 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa, in a region which accounts for more than 90 per cent of global cases.
“Distribution of the free nets will commence from Sept. 8 to Sept. 17. Persons wearing uniforms with the malaria logo will visit the households to register and distribute free nets to each household.
“Once collected, air the new nets for 24 hours in the shade before hanging. Once hung, beneficiaries should sleep inside with the nets well tucked over the sleeping area every night.”
The commissioner, however, lamented the high rate of fake drugs in the state, saying the government was ready to tackle the menace. He disclosed that the government had acquired scanning machines to detect counterfeit drugs in pharmacies and patent medicine shops across the state.
According to him, some anti-malaria drugs could not treat malaria again because they were fake, hence the need to go after the dealers.
Earlier, the Malaria Programme Officer in the ministry, Dr. Waheed Afolayan, stated that malaria still remained a public health issue in the country, saying there was a need to support the campaign.
Afolayan, who noted that governments at all levels spent billions of naira on malaria prevention and treatment, stated that Nigeria was responsible for 25 per cent of global cases of malaria. He disclosed that the country accounted for 30 per cent of deaths from malaria globally.
“Records also show that about 60 percent of patients in health facilities are being treated for malaria and 30 per cent of deaths of children under five is due to malaria and 10 percent of pregnant women die as a result of malaria complications annually,” he revealed.
Nigeria continues to bear the world’s heaviest malaria burden despite decades of intervention. According to WHO data, Nigeria recorded around 66.7 million malaria cases and 189,000 deaths in 2022, accounting for approximately 27% of global malaria cases and about 31% of global deaths from the disease.
In Ondo and other states, seasonal outbreaks place additional pressure on overstretched health facilities, while poverty, poor sanitation, and limited access to treated nets worsen the problem.
The Federal Government, often supported by global partners such as the Global Fund, USAID, and WHO, has consistently launched nationwide distribution of ITNs, but challenges remain with usage, sustainability, and the threat of drug resistance.
The latest ITN campaign in Ondo comes at a time when public health experts are warning of a possible resurgence of malaria due to climate change, rising resistance to insecticides, and declining funding for preventive programmes.
