By Doris Obinna
The Lagos State Government has unveiled the pathway to malaria pre-elimination and digitization programme, an initiative aimed at reducing malaria prevalence to below one percent through digital innovations, improved case management and strengthened partnerships with private healthcare providers.
Announcing the initiative at a press briefing, yesterday, Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi highlighted that Lagos currently has a malaria prevalence rate of fewer than three percent, significantly lower than the national average. However, with over 900,000 malaria cases annually, the state is pushing for complete malaria elimination.
A key aspect of the programme is the mandatory rapid diagnostic testing (RDTs) before treatment to prevent misdiagnosis and drug resistance. Many Lagos residents self-diagnose and take anti-malarial drugs without proper testing, which leads to ineffective treatment and antibiotic misuse.
To tackle this, Lagos is partnering with Maisha Meds, a digital health platform, to introduce real-time electronic malaria reporting systems across public and private health facilities. Community pharmacies and patent medicine vendors will also be integrated into the state’s malaria control network to ensure standardised treatment.
“This initiative mandates that every fever must be properly tested before treatment,” Prof. Abayomi said. “Not all fevers are malaria. Many are caused by bacterial or viral infections that require different treatments. Testing first will save lives and reduce drug misuse.”
Additionally, malaria care is being incorporated into Lagos’ health insurance scheme, Ilera Eko, making diagnosis and treatment more affordable.
The programme will be formally launched on March 4, 2025 in Lagos with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Minister of Health Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate and representatives from the World Health Organisation (WHO), World Bank, and National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP) in attendance.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, urged Lagosians to embrace a test-before-treatment mindset. “The era of assuming every fever is malaria is over. Pharmacies and medicine vendors will now require a test before dispensing anti-malarial drugs,” she emphasized.