The Médecins sans Frontières, MSF, has described inadequate functioning of primary healthcare facilities and insecurity are main reasons why malaria patients are facing risk of death in Zamfara state, as the situation make access to healthcare extremely challenging for the population.
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters, and exclusion from healthcare. MSF has worked continuously in Nigeria since 1996, and currently provides medical care, free of charge, in 11 states across the country.
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MSF, ina statement titled; “MSF response to malaria outbreak in Zamfara State, Nigeria” sent to BizPoint on Thursday said, malaria is easy to treat if treatment is administered at the early stage of the disease.
However, in Zamfara, according to MSF, patients with severe malaria often arrive late to the MSF-supported facilities located at Zurmi and Shinkafi general hospitals and at the paediatrics units in Gummi and Talata Mafara, presenting complications thus increasing the risk of death.
MSF noted that malaria could be prevented by reducing the exposure to mosquito bites by using mosquito nets as it is highly efficient in reducing malaria infection, “but unfortunately, nearly half of the children in Zamfara don’t have access or don´t regularly sleep under mosquito nets.”
In the statement, MSF described malaria as a major public health concern in Nigeria, with an estimated 194,000 deaths recorded for the year 2021.
It revealed that Nigeria had the highest burden of malaria globally, accounting for nearly 30% of the total malaria deaths in the world. The disease is present all year round, with the northwest and northeast parts of the country being mostly affected due to limited access to healthcare and preventive measures.
However, it is during malaria peak from the middle of July until mid-October that the MSF see higher mortality rates, with pregnant women and young children being the most affected.
“According to Dr. Hubert Kashama, medical coordinator for Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) in Nigeria, “around 70% of the patients we receive in the MSF-supported hospitals of Shinkafi and Zurmi (northwest Nigeria) are treated for malaria, we keep seeing this disease as the top morbidity every year”.
“MSF medical teams respond to malaria in its medical facilities across North-West, North-East, and Central States in Nigeria with rapid diagnostic tests, artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) treatment, and intravenous antimalarials for complicated cases.
“The International Medical Humanitarian Organisation also adapts to peak season by increasing its capacities in human resources, bed capacity, and medical supplies. From January to November 2023, MSF treated around 250,000 patients with malaria across its different project locations in Nigeria,” part of the statement reads.