“Why Should I go to Hospital to Treat Ordinary Malaria, When I can get Same Result From Chemist?” Parent Says

By: Ibraheem Olasunkanmi Qoseem

It was on a sunny afternoon when I met Iya Nafeesat at a patent medicine store(chemist), asking for her choice of antimalarial drug(choloroquine) to treat her daughter that was feeling feverish. When I enquired about how she got to know the drug, I was bedazzled of her response.

“Imagine, look at this uncle, am I a baby nursing mother? this is my fourth child, although I am not an health personel but when a baby present a high temperature and feeling shivery, it is an indication of malaria and that’s why I come for the antimalarial drug” she said.

On the same spot, the mother of two, Iya Ayomide approached the same proprietary store yet requested for her choice of antimalarial drug(Quatem) for her two-year old daughter Sidiqot. When asked, why not choloroquine? With sharp mouth, ” I know this one works well better than choloroquine” she said.

When interviewed further, for how long have you been using propietary store and why not hospital, where you will get tested before drug administration?

“Well, I am aware that hospital offers quality care, I once practised that but hospital facility is not people friendly and the long process involved make things worse, so I got discouraged. And since I have been patronizing propietary store, I do get results, so why should I have to pass through hell to treat common malaria?

In an interview with the store owner, Mrs Ibraheem who narrated that people get antimalarial drugs based on their pocket size and reactions to drug; especially choloroquine with irritation as side effects. Although, it is the pocket size that matters most times and chloroquine still remains affordable one.

When asked, if people ever complain about ineffectiveness of choloroquine and what other things they do? she said, many similar scenerios has been experienced, what they do is that, they give out coartem or amala and if no changes occur, they do advised them to visit hospital, where they get treated appropriately.

Prevalence of Malaria Cases in Nigeria

Malaria disease is an agelong disease that knows no border and has no respect for status. But it’s disastrous effect is felt in a particular region than the rest of the world.

In 2021, According to World Malaria report, there were 247 millions of malaria cases globally with 619 000 death. While Africa region accounted for about 95 percent of all malaria cases and 96 percent of deaths. And the under 5-year old children accounted for about 80 percent of malaria cases in the region.

Over four countries took the half percentage of the malaria disease burden worldwide. They include: Nigeria (31.3%), Democratic Republic of Congo (12.6%), United Republic of Tanzania (4.1%) and Niger(4.1%).

Who is at Risk of Malaria Disease?

Malaria occur mostly in a poor, tropical, subtropical region and unhygienic environment. Malaria disease is caused by the bite of mosquito(Anopheles) which transmit parasite called plasmodium (falciparum).

Although many people get bitten by mosquito but very few develop malaria disease, this is because of the strength of human immune system against disease.

The people who are mostly at the risk of the disease are children under five age who may not have partial immunity against it, pregnant women that are mostly have weakened immunity due to pregnancy and travellers with first exposure to the disease.

Accessing the Healthcare

When a child presents high temperature, body pain, shivering and other malaria associated symptoms, people usually visit the healthcare facility for appropriate health care. They believe that expert will be consulted, appropriate test will be done before the drugs prescription.

Despite life saving the process is, the issue of having to be on the long waiting list during registration, consultation and testing time make many people disinterested in accessing healthcare.
These and many other factors have made people to seek alternative like self medication and concoction which are bottleneck to individual and public health.

Implications of Self-medication on Humans’ Health

Self-medication is defined according to International Pharmaceutical Federation as the use of non prescriptive medicine by people according to their initiative to treat self-recongnized illness or symptoms.

Studies show that about 60-80% of health-related issues, especially in developing countries are treated using self medication. Even though, they are regarded as being safe and affordable by the general public but their overall effects are negatively felt.

Getting antimalarial drugs in propietary store without prescription of professional does more harm than good. They may be affordable but they have long term effects on individual and public health. The height of it antimicrobial resistance, a situation whereby a drug that is effective against malaria no longer effective as a result of over-dose and under-dose. It largely causes prolonged illness, extended hospital stay and death.

As much as essential as patent medicine stores are in our society by making drugs delivery to be timely available and affordable, there is manner to our approaches with them. Because many of the drugs sold by them are fake drugs, substandard and expired drugs could put patient’s health at risk.

Right Leadership and Increased Political Will are Keys to Accelerating Malaria Elimination Efforts” Expert Says

As the world celebrate World Malaria Day today, it is pertinent to celebrate the progress made in its elimination, x-rayed the barriers or challenges and look at the improved solutions that can be adopted in order to achieve a world free of malaria cases and deaths.

According to MLS. Odinaka Kingsley Obeta, the Executive Director of Block Malaria Africa and West Africa Lead, ALMA Youth Advisory Council highlighted array of issues affecting the elimination of malaria in Africa, which are inadequate malaria leadership, lack of political will, climate change, unhygienic environment, inadequate funding of local research among many other factors.

The expert laid more emphasis on drug resistance and insecticide resistance being the hydraheaded monster impending the success rate. He however, expressed optimism that regardless of barriers there is hope while citing Algeria’s elimination success being one of the recent African countries to be certified malaria-free by the WHO in 2019.

Looking at what can be done to improve the elimination process, Odinaka recommended that: “It is clear that with right political will, malaria leadership, deliberate youth engagement and increased funding opportunities; just like we have seen in countries like Mozambique and Kenya there is a very positive results in view.

“What I think can be done differently is to harness the possibilities projected by this year’s World Malaria Day theme, which is Time to Deliver Zero Malaria: Invest, Innovate, Implement. With Africa recording the highest percentage of malaria burden, there is no better continent mandated enough to drive the process for increased investment in malaria programs than Africa.

“We must invest boldly invest in malaria control and elimination, bridge critical funding gaps and accelerate already existing progress. We must deliberately innovate transformative solutions to end malaria and also implement national strategies aimed at fighting malaria through quality leadership, innovative and sustainable approaches to deliver life saving tools to those at highest risk” he said.