USAID/Nigeria mission director, Melissa Jones, announced that over 180 million Nigerians are now protected from malaria due to the procurement and distribution of 90 million insecticide-treated bed nets.
Jones made this revelation during the 2024 World Malaria Day press briefing in Abuja, with the theme: ‘Accelerating the Fight Against Malaria for a More Equitable World’.
She highlighted the impact of PMI in administering 35 million doses of malaria preventive treatment, protecting three million children under five years of age from the disease.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that Nigeria had nearly 67 million cases in 2022, accounting for 27 per cent of the global malaria burden. Also, Nigeria accounted for 31 per cent of global deaths and 38 per cent of global deaths in children aged under 5 years in the same year.
However, Jones pointed out that since the year 2000, malaria deaths in Nigeria have decreased from 194,000 in 2021 to 188,480 in 2022. She emphasised that the prevention of malaria in Nigeria has contributed to the overall global success of the PMI program.
