By Daniel Tyokua
The chairman Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Hon.Christopher Zakka Maikalangu has urged the residents to embrace personal and environmental hygiene to effectively fight malaria.
He spoke on the sideline of preventable deaths of millions of adults and children which he partly blamed it on citizens’ non adherence to primary healthcare rules such as general lackluster attitude to mosquito treated nets use as well as absence of personal and environmental hygiene.
Maikalangu, who made the remarks shortly after he hosted officials of Seasonal Malaria Chemotherapy initiative in his office, also urged residents of the Council especially, rural dwellers and satellite towns, to imbibe the spirit of personal hygiene, environmental sanitation and community sensitisation drive on the efficacy and the use of the mosquito-treated nets at bedtime.
He also advised AMAC residents to prevent malarial attacks by clearing grasses and bushes around them, clear still waters in gutters and ensure that their surroundings are kept clean and habitable with a view to warding-off preventable diseases in the society.
Leader of the delegation, Dr Aliyu Jibril Guraguri, who is coincidentally the Zonal project coordinator for Malaria Consortium, had earlier highlighted that the team was in the Council on a courtesy and advocacy visit to forge areas of cooperation and alliances in the area of publicity and mass mobilization of locals to partake in the second phase of a planned anti-malarial campaign programme in the Area Council soon.
The Seasonal Malaria Chemotherapy Initiative is a global antimalarial agency that has the endorsement of the UNICEF, WHO, Global Fund and a host of other Healthcare and community development-driven global and local agencies.
The visitors also include M/s Daniel Emeto, Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer and Jonah Akufor, Social Behaviour Change Communication Consultant to the consortium.
