The Ebonyi state commissioner for health, Dr Daniel Umezurike weekend said that malaria is the major health challenge confronting Nigerians.
He said it account to over 60% of ailment treated in Nigerian health facilities.
He made the revelation in Abakaliki during a press briefing to mark this year’s World Malaria Day.
Umezurike noted that malaria remains a public health problem and major caused of deaths in pregnant women and children of less than five years in the country.
He said the state government has distributed 1.9 million insecticide mosquito treated nets to the people to prevent the disease, saying free malaria test in all the public hospitals and state hospitals was other measures by government to prevent malaria.
The Commissioner said, “In Nigeria and Ebonyi state in particular, malaria disease is still a public health problem. Over 60% of hospital attendants are caused by malaria and major cause of deaths in pregnant women and children less than five years.”
He also used the occasion debunked some media reports in the state that people were dying in droves as a result of Lassa fever outbreak.
“With respect to Lassa fever, we have managed a total of 85 cases this year in Ebonyi state and unfortunately, we lost two people due to late presentation.
At present he continued, “all the patients that suffered Lassa fever this year have been discharged in the virology centre built by our Governor in Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki(AE-FUTHA) and this is verifiable. If people are dying in droves in Ebonyi state, we would have still been having patients in the virology centre ”.