96,000 Ebonyi residents affected by malaria annually -State govt

Ebonyi State government on Thursday said that about 96,000 residents across the 13 local government areas of the state were affected annually by malaria scourge. The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sunday Nwangele, made this known while briefing journalists in Abakaliki, the state capital. The brief was part of activities marking the 2013 World Malaria Day in the state. Nwangele stated that the statistics of infected persons were derived from reported cases of thedisease in the state. The Health commissioner was represented at the press brief by the Director, Hospital Services Management Board of the state the Ministry of Health, Dr. Gabriel Onwe. He also stated that the state government had invested huge funds into the Roll Back Malaria Programme so as to ensure that cases of malaria were tackled effectively. Nwangele noted that the scourge had contributed to 60 per cent of patients admitted in various hospitals across the state. The commissioner, therefore, added that government had through the Roll Back Malaria Programme distributed insecticidetreated nets to about 97 percent of its residents in order to drastically reduce cases of malaria in the state. He said, "Today is in continuation of the World Malaria week in the state. The importance of Malaria Control Programme cannot be over emphasised as 300 to 500 million people each year are infected by malaria. It affects children under-five years old and pregnant women most especially.”