By Sani Idris
In commemoration of the 2024 World Malaria Day, Hope for the Village Child Foundation, has screened for treatment no fewer than 250 rural residents in Kaduna.
The residents, who cut across men, women and children, were drawn from Kujama, Damishi and Maraban Rido communities in Chikun LGA of the state, where also Kasuwan Magani residents of Kajuru LGA benefited.
The theme for the 2024 World Malaria Day is “Accelerate the fight against malaria for a more equitable world.”
Addressing the women before commencement of the malaria screening excercise on Thursday in Kaduna, the Primary Health Care (PHC) Coordinator of the foundation, Mrs Happiness Yahaya, said the gesture was to ameliorate the beneficiaries out-of-pocket spending on the disease.
She equally said the excercise was to align the foundation with the world malaria day commemoration by doing what they could to reduce it prevalence in the communities and improving the peoples health.
She advised the women on the need for proper environmental hygiene, medical check-up and avoiding self medication.
Yahaya also urged the women on the need for proper child upbringing and practices that would ensure good health of the children, adding that children’s health is key in every family.
“People, especially children will not come down with malaria if we prevent the bites of mosquitoes by sleeping under the nets,”she said.
Earlier, Ms Alice Samuel, the foundation’s clinic Coordinator and Mrs Helen Bawa, a health worker, described malaria as a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female anopheles mosquitoes.
They added that it symptoms are chills, fever and sweating which usually occur few weeks after being bitten.
The duo, however said it is preventable and curable, while urging the general public to always be conscious of any changes in their body systems.
One of the beneficiary, Mrs Saraya Ba’be, a resident of Kujama, said, “this is the best gift I have received this year. So many of us here have one ailment or the other but there’s no money to buy drugs or even go for check-up.”
Also speaking Mrs Matter Nunu, a 40-year-old mother of four at Unguwan Damishi, thanked the foundation for wiping her tears and giving her medication for all her children who were diagnosed with the malaria parasite.(NAN)
