Anti-malaria: Don seeks N1bn intervention fund

To combat the scourge of malaria parasites, a university don, Professor Elizabeth Balogun has called for more research efforts to test the efficacy of herbal products in curing the diseases.

She called for the release of special intervention fund of at least N1bn “for the production, quality control, patenting and marketing of natural/herbal anti-malarial drugs” from the avalanche of research outputs on the study.

Professor Balogun of the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Ilorin, stated this while delivering the 146th inaugural lecture of the university titled, “Dreadable Unpaired Species: Biochemical Approach as Panacea.”

She explained that study has proved that herbal products are effective in combating the scourge of malaria as discovered by a multidisciplinary team in the university.

“I discovered that some of these phytochemicals that are responsible for the activities against malaria parasites are also responsible for their antioxidant. I believe that more efforts should be diverted to these areas of research,” she said.

According to her, the Medical Research Council of Nigeria should institute a well-funded competitive research grants for basic and applied researches into alternative/ unorthodox anti-malarial medication.

The scholar also called for the establishment of Herbal Research Centre for the development of antimalarial drugs in the university.

Balogun attributed the high rate of cardiovascular diseases in developing countries to urbanization which leads to obesity, diabetes and hypertension.

Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Abdulganiyu Ambali, however assured that most of the recommendations and suggestions raised in the inaugural lecture that are relevant to the university would be looked into and implemented.