Prevalence of malaria still high in southeast Nigerian state

The prevalence of malaria is still high in southeast Nigeria's Edo State, despite government's efforts to mitigate it, a senior official said Sunday.

Blessing Obazele, the Program Manager for Edo Malaria Elimination Project said the state government, in collaboration with international partners, had been working relentlessly to combat the disease, but the incidences of the disease had remained high.

He said the international partners have supplied drugs and other malaria preventive items to the state government in efforts to fight malaria. These items were distributed freely to the Primary Health Centers and other government-owned hospitals.

The health official told reporters that most persons do not sleep under the net due to heat occasioned by lack of electricity.

Malaria claims more than 1 million lives annually across the globe, mainly African children under the age of five, according to the World Health Organization.