Nigeria Inter-faith Action Association has met with Faith-based Organizations in Rivers State on malaria prevention, cure and sensitization.
Speaking to the combined team of Muslims and Christians at a one day advocacy meeting organized by the NIFAA, Mr. Ekpor Emmanuel, representing National Co-ordinator (National Malaria Control) programme, who chaired the occasion, told the audience to take the sensitization of malaria serious as their flocks listen and obey anything that comes out of their mouth more than what their doctors tell them.
The occasion, which held at Delta hotel, Port Harcourt, recently was used to solicit for support. Mr. Kalu Ifeanyi, the programme officer asked the participants to send the message to their neighbours, to eradicate those things that can harbour mosquitoes in their environment and make sure they sleep under insecticide treated nets which malaria control programme is sharing.
He frowned at the way people, due to ignorance, use the net for different thing instead of sleeping under it, which is the purpose for which the nets were given them were not effective and advised that people should value their lives by recognizing that mosquitoes are their enemies.
Dr. Ola Egbuk, in her presentation, pointed out that the main objectives of NIFAA are to promote the use of both malaria prevention and curative commodities in communities, to increase knowledge of symptoms of malaria among household from 69%, to increase the utilization of LLINs in households from 39%, to increase the use of complete dose of sulphadoinepyremethmine by pregnant women from 24% to 44% and to increase the update of malaria treatment among children from 7% to 47%.
According to Dr. Egbuk, the programme is focused on religious leaders, general population, women, men, youths and children adding that NIFAA is a world bank-assisted project to achieve its objectives that works with faith-based congregation. ###
Mene Gbarabe
