By Chioma Obinna

With over 300,000 children dying from malaria annually in Nigeria, the Malaria Society of Nigeria (MSN) has called for the establishment of malaria Clubs in primary and secondary schools with a view to expand the awareness on the disease.

National President of the Society, Dr. John Puddicombe who spoke in Lagos during an awareness outreach on malaria at Akere Primary Health Centre, Ajegunle, in Ajeromi-Ifelodun LGA, said such malaria clubs in schools would help reduce childhood mortality towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5.

Puddicombe who regretted that efforts by the Society to push through with establishment of the malaria clubs suffered a set back four years ago, regretted that a proposal for formation of the clubs in school sent to the Federal Ministry of Health while Prof. Adenike Grange was the health minister never saw the light of day.

He said: “Out of over 100 corporate bodies, we sent letters through couriers, only two responded and those two were not willing to sponsor. It doesn’t look to these bodies as a priority; some of them prefer to sponsor football matches to supporting health programmes that will help the country as a whole.”

Urging government to see investment into malaria control as a good step in the right direction, he stated that awareness on malaria should not be a one-day in a year activity if significant progress is to be made.

Commending the plans by the Federal Ministry of Health to target school children in the fight against malaria, he said the presence of malaria clubs in primary and secondary schools would have gone a long way already in bringing down the menace of malaria in the country.

Through the clubs, pupils would have take-home messages on the disease to their parents, particularly, on environmental cleanliness and use of treated nets.