The United States Agency for International Development, USAID, said the U.S. government, through its Presidential Malaria Initiative, PMI, has contributed $914 million to fight malaria in Nigeria since 2011.

This is contained in PMI’s latest report, which said it also supported Nigeria with $73 million to fight malaria in 2023 alone. The U.S. embassy in Abuja released the report on Thursday. 

It said that the funding cost and programmes covered the delivery of 13.4 million bed nets, six million fast-acting medicines, and 11.8 million malaria rapid diagnostic tests to clinics and communities in Nigeria over the past year.

USAID also disclosed that in 2023, more than 7,200 Nigerian health workers were trained to strengthen their malaria detection and treatment skills and provide lifesaving care for their communities.

The report quoted USAID Nigeria Deputy Mission Director Sara Werth as lauding the Federal Ministry of Health for collaborating with the United States government and working to foster robust and effective malaria services in the future.

“As we reflect on the challenges and triumphs in our battle against malaria, let us reaffirm our commitment to a future where no family in Nigeria fears the threat of this disease.

“I urge the government of Nigeria to invest in making malaria programming more efficient and effective using data and other evidence to inform malaria implementation and drive faster results,” Ms Werth said.

It recalled that Ms Werth had earlier, during the country’s 2024 World Malaria Day commemoration, reaffirmed the U.S. government’s unwavering support for Nigeria in the fight against malaria.

The report said the World Health Organization estimated that Nigeria had nearly 67 million cases in 2022, which accounted for 27 per cent of the global malaria burden.  

The PMI said Nigeria also accounted for 31 per cent of global deaths and 38 per cent of global deaths in children under the age of five in 2022.

It said that worldwide, PMI benefits more than 700 million people each year, has helped save over 10.6 million lives and prevented 1.7 billion malaria infections since 2000.

The report also quoted David Walton, U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator, as lauding the Nigerian government’s support and the efforts of health workers on the front lines to protect their communities from malaria.

“The United States is committed to working hand in hand with the people of Nigeria as we pursue our joint vision of a malaria-free future,” Mr Walton said.

It added that PMI, led by USAID and implemented with the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, supported 27 partner countries in sub-Saharan Africa and three programmes across the Greater Mekong Subregion in Southeast Asia to control and eliminate malaria.

(NAN)