LAGOS—THE Lift Above Poverty Organisation, LAPO, yesterday, disclosed that Nigeria loses N132 billion annually to Malaria.

This was as  Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mr.s Bolanle Ambode has urged Lagosians to be more concerned with preventing rather than curing malaria infection even as she distributed 3, 000 mosquito treated nets.

Also, the  Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, yesterday urged the Federal Government to adopt and implement strategies toward creating a conducive investment climate for more private sector participation in health financing.

The Executive Director of LAPO, Ms. Sabina Idowu-Osehobo,  said this yesterday, at the 2018 World Malaria Day sensitization programme tagged: ‘Ready to Beat Malaria’, held in Meiran Community, Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State.

Idowu-Osehobo, represented by the LAPO Lagos Regional Officer, Mrs. Sandra Asowata, noted that Malaria constitutes a huge epidemiologic burden in Africa and continues to cripple the economic development in the region.

Idowu-Osehobo said: “Malaria is responsible for 60 percent outpatient visits to health facilities, 30 percent  childhood death, 25 percent of death in children under one year and 11 percent maternal death in Nigeria. Malaria is a major cause of increasing household poverty and slow phase of national development.

“The financial loss due to malaria annually is estimated to be about N132 billion   in form of treatment costs, prevention and loss of man-hours, yet, the disease is  a treatable  and completely eradicable.”

“We believe that with collective efforts of everyone- international partners, government at all levels, business sectors, NGOs, community stakeholders and direct beneficiaries, we are ready to beat Malaria.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/04/world-malaria-day-nigeria-loses-n132bn-malaria-annually-lapo/