The Federal Government and the State Government of Lagos have jointly declared zero tolerance for malaria disease, expressing their appreciation for national and international partners for their collaboration.
They made the statement during the half -impact project review and the road map towards the elimination of malaria in Lagos, held on Thursday.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Health, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, praised the government of the state of Lagos for his leadership and dedication in the fight against malaria, saying that the effort showed that with determination and innovation, it was possible to even overcome the most difficult challenges.
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“I praise the government of the state of Lagos for being a pioneer in this initiative and for its unwavering dedication to malaria control. This effort shows that with determination and innovation, we can even exceed the most difficult challenges,” he said.
The minister, while expressing his appreciation for national and international partners for his collaboration, reaffirmed the commitment of his ministry to support Lagos through the National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP).
Pate highlighted some key achievements of collaboration, including the successful incorporation of patent and patented medicine suppliers (PPMV) and community pharmacies in a system for the provision of structured, regulated and digitalized malaria services.
This was just as noted that the integration of digital technology had significantly improved the collection, analysis and data reports, which allows a better monitoring of progress, the identification of service gaps and decision -making based on data to strengthen malaria interventions.
Governor Sanwo-olu, in his opening speech, reaffirmed the commitment of the transition state of a high malaria load to a pre-elimination stage, racing the way for a lakes without malaria.
The governor said that the State was taking advantage of the evidence, technology and collaboration to boost progress, emphasizing the importance of reviewing field data to guarantee the effective use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) and appropriate reports of private pharmacies and PPMV.
“This review focuses on the responsibility, scale, quality and property of the community,” he said.
Speaking beyond, Governor Sanwo-olu emphasized that malaria cannot be approached by focusing solely on clinical interventions, asking homes and communities that play a more active role in prevention “eliminating the reproduction sites, immediately testing and trusting the health system.”
However, the governor revealed that the Lagos strategy emphasizes strong communication, a solid network of community health workers and associations with traditional leaders, market groups and schools.
“We must embed the prevention and proof message in all aspects of life in lakes,” he said.
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