Elimination of Malaria: CRS Thumbs up Ogun Residents

A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Global Fund, in collaboration with the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has expressed optimism over the compliance of Ogun state residents in trooping out to collect Long Lasting Insecticide- Treated Nets (LLITN) cards, aimed at eliminating the scourge of malaria across the country.

One of the CRS Project Officers, Mrs. Orezi Nicholas Adhekoyibo while expressing her optimism at the assessment tour to Mowe, Ibafo, Mokolokin in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of the state, stated that malaria was considered as a major health challenge that hinders development of countries, especially those in African, while over a million lives, including expectant mothers and children under the age of 0-5 years are affected.

She said in a bid to curb the spread of the disease, the Federal government and various International organisations, including “Global Fund” and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) have stepped up advocacies to ensure people were adequately sensitised to preventive measure and how to get treated if affected.

She said that the disease remains one of the biggest challenges and which cause 11 percent of Maternal Mortality in Nigeria, the Federal government and key stakeholders were making serious efforts to ensure that the rate at which the disease spread is reduced maximally if not eliminated or eradicated.

One of the mobilisers and a health worker, Mrs. Onye Victoria expressed her satisfaction in engaging herself with the job, noted that the level of compliance by the people of the areas was highly impressed as the residents were really ready to collect the cards with no any rejection of the cards whatsoever as people envisaged.

“Gone are the days where people will say, we don’t anything from government except money, as you can see now that people are willing to get the cards, even if they were not around and get to know that one mobiliser is in their area they will quickly come back and request for their own card,” she said

Two of the beneficiaries of the LLIN cards being interviewed ‎Mr. Adelaja Kolawole and Mrs. Olaonipekun Mojisola, praised the state government and it’s partners for the initiative, pledging their readiness to make wise use of the treated mosquito nets.

Earlier, the Malaria Focal Persons of the areas, Mrs. Grace Oluwayemisi Olowu and Mrs. Kolashi Deborah Iyabo hailed the initiative of government and collaborating partners the Global Fund and Catholic Relief Services (CRS)‎ especially for the giant strides been recorded so far.

They added that one of the major measures through which the spread of deadly disease (malaria) could be curbed was the use of Long Lasting Insecticide-Treated Nets (LLIN) always, admonished the people not to keep it up somewhere but making sure that they sleep under it as well.

They urged the CRS to find lasting solutions to the people of remote areas, noting that some of the mobilisers were unwilling to visit those areas because of their transport fare, and those being persuaded to that catchment areas were not spent less than N5,000, as their to and fro, but saying that till now no defaulter.