The Ondo State Government says that it is ready to address fake drugs in pharmacies and patent medicine shops across the state through a scanning machine to carry out integrity test on drugs.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka, stated this on Thursday in Akure during a medial orientation on 2025 insecticide treated nets ( ITNs) campaign in Ondo State.
Ajaka, who frowned at high rate of malaria fever in the state, said that some anti malaria drugs could not treat the disease because they were fake.
He stated that the malaria campaign was necessary to prevent the disease, saying that media organizations should intensify their support for anti malaria programmes.
According to him, all households in the state will receive ITNs in preventing malaria fever in the state.
“In order to reduce the burden of malaria in the state, the State’s Ministry or 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 malaria logo will visit the households to register and distribute free neta to each household.
“Once collected, air tge new neta 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,” he said.
Earlier, the Malaria Programme Officer in the Ministry, Dr Waheed Afolayan, said that malaria still remains a public issue in the country, hence the need to support the campaign.
Afolayan said that Nigeria is responsible for 25 per cent of global cases of malaria, adding that the country accounts for 30 per cent of deaths from malaria globally.
He noted that records also show that about 60 per cent of patients in health facilities are being treated for malaria.
According to him, 30 per cent of death of children under five is due to malaria and 10 per cent of pregnant women die as a result of malaria complications annually.
Afolayan stated that residents of Nigeria and government at all levels spend billion of naira to prevent and treat malaria.
The programme officer added that malaria account greatly for poverty indices of the country, asking all and sundry to fight the disease squarely.