BY CHIOMA OBINNA

Stakeholders in the health sector in Ogun State, have called for an all-inclusive strategy to drastically reduce the current unacceptably high malaria prevalence in the country and other African countries.

The stakeholders lamented that although malaria was preventable, there was need for proactive steps to halt the current trend of avoidable deaths resulting from malaria, especially among pregnant women and children below five years.

Ogun Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka, spoke at the flag-off ceremony to mark the 2013 World Malaria Day organised by Ogun State Government in collaboration with Reckitt Benckiser’s Mortein insecticide brand in Abeokuta.

He said due to the strategic placement of Africa as the new hub for the world’s economy, it was imperative to accord malaria eradication priority and solicit every support.
Soyinka commended Reckitt Benckiser for its Mortein anti-malaria initiative and called on well-meaning corporate bodies and institutions to emulate the company in its bid to make the country malaria-free.

General Manager for Central (West & East) Africa, Reckitt Benckiser, Mr. Ashok Bashin, said the need to fill what he described as the “deadly gaps” in the various malaria eradication programmes, informed the company’s intervention initiative.