Midwives, Reckitt Benckiser partner on anti-malaria awareness campaign

THE National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) in collaboration with Reckitt Benckiser Nigeria, makers of Mortein insecticide, has embarked on anti-malaria campaign on the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and other insecticides in the fight against malaria-causing anopheles female mosquitoes.Identifying malaria as the major cause of death among children under five and pregnant women, the medical experts moved to fight malaria-causing mosquitoes with insecticides to forestall the death of innocent children caused by malaria in the country.According to the experts at the NANNM's annual scientific workshop held in Lagos, there are 225 million causes of malaria recorded in the world, out of which, 781, 000 cases occurring in deaths, while out of 176 million cases reported in Africa, 709, 000 deaths are reported on yearly basis.Globally, the National Demographic Health Survey revealed that 300, 000 children die yearly from malaria, hence the need to fight the scourge with all strategies and weapon available becomes inevitable.The Head, Nursing Administration, Primary Health Care Board (PHCB), Lagos State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Adetomi, noted that in addition to malaria, other factors such as, attitude of health workers, malnutrition; complications during childbirth and poor antenatal care are other contributive to the high mortality rate in the country.She, however, called for community ownership of the healthcare facilities, promotion to boost the morale of the health workers, effective and exclusive breastfeeding to boost child's immune system against malaria-causing parasites, even as she called for the use of insecticide-treated nets and other insecticides to keep malaria at bay.Meanwhile, Scientific Service Group Associate, Reckitt Benckiser Nigeria, Mr. Uchenna Nwakanma, warned the mothers on the use of harmful insecticides, charging them to go for insecticides that were not harmful to their children, especially the newborn.He also warned against the use of other forms of chemicals that could result in choking, causing more damage to the households that they set to protect from malaria-causing mosquitoes.Warning that the toxic insecticide exposure could cause a variety of adverse health effects, such as irritability, central nervous system effects and even cancer, he noted that the ingredients in Mortein are synthetic pyrethroids with potent insecticidal properties, which affect the flow of sodium salt out of the nerve cells in mosquitoes and resulting in paralysis of the mosquitoes.He said: 'Mortein contains a synergist that inhibits the enzyme secreted by the mosquitoes/pest for detoxifying the active ingredients, thereby making the insecticide more effective. It absorbs the moisture in the insect on contact with mosquitoes, losing its body fluid and eventual death.
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