into a battleground against an invisible foe. into a battleground against an invisible foe.
Her youngest son, Ibrahim, had succumbed to malaria at the tender age of two, a loss that still haunted her every moment. Each dawn, Adamu rises before the sun to tend to tend to his crops, his weathered hands a testament to years of toiling under the scorching sun. “Mosquitoes used to come with the rains, but now they are here year-round. We cannot escape them, no matter how hard we try,” he said, swatting at persistent insect buzzing around him.
In Nigeria, where malaria remains a significant public health concern, a new threat looms large: climate change It sheds light on the intricate relationship between rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and the proliferation of malaria-carrying mosquitoes, particularly the female Anopheles species.
These vectors, they say, thrive in warmer, wetter environments, leading to an expansion of malaria transmission zones across Nigeria. “Furthermore, changes in rainfall patterns disrupt the ecological balance, creating stagnant water pools ideal for mosquito breeding. Dr Gbenga Jokodola, the 2024 World Malaria Day planning committee chairman, said that addressing the nexus between climate change and malaria in Nigeria required a multifaceted approach.
In the face of this threat, collaboration between government agencies, research institutions and local communities is essential. The Malaria Prevention and Climate Action Network engages communities in advocacy, education, and hands-on projects aimed at reducing malaria incidence. Key components include enhancing the capacity of health facilities to manage climate-related health risks, improving surveillance systems to track malaria trends in the context of changing weather patterns, and promoting research on innovative solutions.Partnerships between local communities, NGOs, government agencies, and international organisations have fostered a comprehensive response.
A pilot project implemented by Roll Back Malaria and the government successfully reduced malaria incidence by 30 per cent over two years.