A public health expert and parasitologist, Prof. Dennis Aribodor, has urged Anambra State Government to declare treatment of malaria-free for children in all its health facilities.

Aribodor, who is a lecturer at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, made the call on Tuesday in Awka to mark 2023 World Malaria Day with the theme: “Time to Deliver Zero Malaria: Invest, Innovate, Implement”.

World Malaria Day is commemorated every April 25 to raise awareness about the disease and promote efforts to combat it.

Aribodor, also the Founder of Malaria Eradication and Safe Health Initiative of Nigeria, said that free malaria treatment would ensure adequate attention and protection of children from the disease.

According to him, children are the most vulnerable to the infection.

He said that malaria was prevalent among children under five years as well as among pregnant women.

According to him, many families in Anambra had resorted to taking herbal concoctions to treat malaria because they could not afford the cost of its diagnosis and treatment in hospitals.

“Anti-malaria drug today costs between N2,000 and N2,500 for one dose. To buy one good mosquito net costs about N2,500 or N3,000. The question now is: how many people can afford it in Anambra State?

“Those in the villages do not have the money to treat their children. They resort to herbal concoctions which contribute to kidney problems among children because some of those herbal concoctions are not regulated.

“The more you give the children the concoction, the more the kidney suffers. There is an epidemic of kidney problems among children these days.

“We urge Gov. Chukwuma Soludo to help these poor families by declaring treatment of malaria-free, especially for the most vulnerable groups, and ensure that primary healthcare centers are functioning optimally, ” he said.

He also urged the state government to ensure the availability of malaria drugs in public hospitals.