Rainy Season: Sleep under treated nets to avoid mosquito bite, malaria

Chukwudi Njelita, the Chief Medical Director of Rock Foundation Hospital, Awka, has stressed the need for all to sleep under insecticide treated nets to avoid mosquito bite and malaria.

He gave the advice in an interview our correspondent in Awka on Tuesday, as the rainy season sets in in many parts of the country.

He said “malaria is caused by plasmodium, transmitted by infected female anopheles mosquitoes.

“I want to advise everyone to sleep under treated mosquito nets; those who do not have it should acquire it and those who have it should use it.

“This is because there will be higher incidence of malaria due to increase in mosquito bites during the prevailing rainy season.”

The medical director who urged Nigerians to protect themselves from mosquito bites by all means, stressed that “during rainy season, there is usually an accumulation of dirty water in drains, which promotes breeding of the female anopheles mosquito.

“We should try as much as possible to clear the drains, stagnant and small water ponds to stop breeding of the anopheles mosquitoes, the vectors of the parasite Plasmodium.

“Mosquito bites are responsible for the transmission of the malaria parasite from person to person and this will result to higher incidence and prevalence of malaria this season.”

Njelita said malaria is risky for children under five years of age and pregnant women due to their low immunity.

The medical expert said anybody who felt the symptoms of malaria should go to hospital for timely and proper diagnosis, especially children under the age of five years and pregnant women.

He listed some of the symptoms to include body weakness, headache, bitter taste on the tongue, loss of appetite and muscle pain.

He added that “for pregnant women with low immunity, there is the tendency for the parasite to attack the placenta bed where the mother and the baby exchange nutrients.

“This is how dangerous malaria can be in pregnancy, we encourage pregnant women to start going for antenatal immediately and start taking intermittent preventive therapy for the first 16 weeks.

“Food and fruits cannot cure malaria but can improve one’s immunity. The best approach is prevention or the barrier method, which is prevention from mosquito bite.