Over 500 people in Warri and environs of Delta State have benefited from the free malaria treatment put together by Gilbert Hill Resources Limited supported by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Delta State Ministry of Health.
The aim of the organisers is to champion the campaign against malaria in Warri and its environs.
To create awareness on the killer disease, health practitioners undertook a road walk round major routes in Warri distributing flyers and sensitising the public on malaria and ways to prevent it in the society.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Joseph Onojame, said the campaign is to create awareness among residents on malaria and how to prevent it.
The commissioner said what Gilbert Hill Resources Limited, NDDC and state Ministry of Health were doing was to commemorate the World Malaria Day observed every April 25 with the theme “Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world.”
Onojame, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, state Ministry of Health, Dr Julie Amah, cautioned against the habit of self-medication in the treatment of malaria but recommended that people should go for test and treatment from approved healthcare centres.
“World Malaria Day was celebrated on April 25 in Asaba and other parts of the state but NDDC thought it wise to champion the campaign against malaria in Warri with the procession around town, talk on malaria, free malaria treatment and distribution of free mosquitoes insecticide treated nets,” the commissioner said.
The state coordinator of Health Promotion, Education and Social Mobilisation in the ministry of health, Dr Emmanuel Odejerho, said some of the symptoms included high fever, headache, sweating, diarrhea, fatigue, muscle and back pain, nausea and vomiting.
He advised that members of the public should endeavour to clean their surrounding, avoid stagnant water which breed mosquitoes, use mosquitoes insecticide treated nets and fumigate of their environment, among others.
In her remarks, Assistant Director of Education, Health and Social Services Department of NDDC, Delta State office, Mrs Irene Emavwodia, noted that NDDC, as an interventionist agency, is poised at ensuring residents in the Niger Delta region are healthy.
Speaking in a similar vein, the Executive Secretary, Warri South Local Government Area Health Authority, Dr Tosan Sagay, said the statistic shows that malaria, which is a major public health concern, is the major cause of deaths among pregnant women, infants from birth to five years, the youth and the elderly.
Some members of the public, who benefited from the free treatment thanked the organisers for the free medical and the enlightenment on malaria.
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