TITLE:
Universal Access to Malaria Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment as a Strategy toward Disease Control and Elimination: A Critical Look at Northeastern Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Abdullahi Saddiq, Jalal-Eddeen Abubakar Saleh, Alemu Wondimagegnehu, Rex Mpazanje, Bala Mohammed Audu
KEYWORDS:
Malaria, Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets, Universal Access, National Malaria Elimination Programme, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe, Nigeria
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.6 No.11,
November
26,
2019
ABSTRACT: Background: As early as 2008 there was a call by the United Nations Secretary General to halt malaria death by ensuring universal coverage of malaria interventions to be attained by 2010. This was echoed by the World Health Assem-bly in 2015 by adopting the Global Technical Strategy or malaria 2016-2030 with universal access to malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment as one of its three pillars. This study had a critical look at the supply and distribution of Artemisin-based Combination Therapy, Rapid Diagnostic Tests and Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets in 2017 with a view to critique the universal coverage of these commodities in Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe States in the northeastern geopolitical region of Nigeria. Method: This is a quantitative cross-sectional study using secondary data. The research analyzed the data of malaria intervention commodities received by state malaria elimination programmes from six states across the northeast zone between January and December 2017. Results: The study result showed that RDTs were received and distributed in four of the six states and one state did not receive or distribute any. Commodities for treatment (ACTs) received and distributed showed that only one state had a significant supply and distribution of the commodity, two states had minimal supply and distribution while the other three states had insignificant quantities that did not match the RDT supply and the state that had the highest supply/distribution was the only state supported by the global fund in the northeast zone in 2017. Only one state had a significant quantity of LLINs distributed in 2017. Conclusion: The government of Nigeria and collaborating partners have made concerted efforts to improve access to ACTs, RDTs and LLINs with improvement in levels of intervention across the country. This study however clearly demonstrates the need to intensify efforts in making universal access possible in northeastern Nigeria so that the objectives of the National Malaria Strategic Plan 2014-2020 can be achieved. This comes at a time when donor funding is at cross-roads.