Over 500 AMAC residents get free malaria services

A non- governmental organisation, Diabetes Helpline Society (DHS), collaborating with the Abuja Municipal Area Council, provided free malaria treatment, testing and counselling for more than 500 residents of Lugbe community, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory.

The Chief Executive Officer, DHS, Ms Adanma Odefa, said the exercise was held to celebrate the World Health Day and Malaria Day.

Odefa noted that vectors spread pathogens through insects and lice, adding that the two most common ones caused by mosquito are yellow fever and malaria which are prevalent in Nigeria.

Her words: “We are poised to tackle these diseases in Lugbe community. What we do is that all the children under five are tested for malaria and also treated if they are found to be positive. Women who are pregnant are given mosquito nets. Others that have fever are tested and treated. Those who don’t have fever, also have their blood pressure tested.”

She added that she was collaborating with the FCT Primary Health Care Development Board, to effectively reach the target number of people in the community.

“The FCT Primary Health Care Development Board is also giving immunisation. They are giving yellow fever vaccine and other routine immunisation vaccines for children under one. So it’s a complete thing really, targeting yellow fever and malaria,” she said.

The CEO, Diabetes Helpline Society, however, disclosed that most of the people tested for malaria had the disease, saying: “Almost all of them tested to malaria. You know, we carry malaria in our blood most of the time unless if treated recently, the likelihood is that you will have malaria, especially children under five. Mostly, we see that they are positive and we just treat them for malaria,” she said.

Apart from offering free malaria testing and treatment to the indigenes, the organisation also gave out free insecticide treated nets to first time pregnant mothers at the occasion.