The Pest Control Association of Nigeria (PECAN) Tuesday called for a comprehensive approach to tackling mosquitoes in order to reduce the burden of malaria in the country.
Its president, Olakunle Williams, made the call in Abuja at the commemoration of the World Mosquito Day organised in collaboration with the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON), with the theme ‘Fighting the World’s Deadliest Killer.’
Williams said: “We must prioritise research and innovation, strengthen surveillance and monitoring systems, invest in capacity-building, and implement integrated pest management strategies.”
According to him, any move to end malaria without ending mosquito is in futility.
“Diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, Zika virus, yellow fever and others continue to ravage our communities, impeding progress and hindering socio-economic development. It is incumbent upon us, as responsible stakeholders, to take collective action and combat this menace head-on,” he added.
The guest speaker, Prof. Godson Ana, said a major setback to mosquito control in the country was the lack of sustained efforts on evironmental sanitation and hygiene.
He said the federal government should invest resources in malaria control instead of waiting for casualties to happen before it acts.
National Coordinator, National Malaria Elimination Programme, Perpetual Uhomohibi, said interventions should be informed by availability of accurate and enough epidemiological and surveillance data.