A Professor of Public Entomology and Parasitology at the Osun State University, Professor Monsuru Adeleke, yesterday, blamed Africans’ environmental attitude for the continuous spread of malaria.
He added that the disease has claimed the lives of 608,000 people in 85 countries.
Delivering a paper at the university’s 20th Inaugural Lecture held at the university auditorium in Osogbo titled ‘Unending war of man against mosquitoes and blackflies: A tale of two sacrificial lambs searching for survival,’ Adeleke argued that vector-borne diseases account for over 60% of deadly and life-threatening diseases affecting humans, with malaria being a major concern.
He said: “Over 94% of malaria cases (among 233 million people) and 95% of malaria deaths occurred in Africa and children under 5 accounted for about 80% of all malaria deaths in the region.
“The diseases harboured and transmitted by insects (vector-borne diseases) constitute over 60% of deadly and life-threatening diseases of humans (Service, 1999).
“Aside from death that malaria is responsible for, other complications and socio-economic retrogressions that include illness, frequent school and work absenteeism, abortion, and stillbirth are also other unfriended diseases to humanity.”
On ways to tackle the menace, he urged the government and policymakers to adopt integrated vector control strategies to combat vector-borne diseases rather mon-policy approach to the issue.
Adeleke said: “The mono-policy being implemented over the years is not yielding satisfactory results.
“It is giving the vectors free ways to devise means of escaping the onslaught.
“Existing laws on environmental sanitation and pollution need to be strengthened and strictly enforced. Vectors breed in our surroundings, and preventing their breeding grounds solves 80% of the problem.
“There must be attitudinal change if Africa and Nigeria (in particular) must win the war against vector-borne diseases.
“Many of our activities in Nigeria inadvertently create environments conducive to vectors.”
In his remarks, the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Clement Adebooye stressed the need for Africans to manage mosquitoes to reduce its spread.
“I’m sure that by strengthening health delivery mechanism by the government, the cause of malaria will be reduced in our society”, he said.