It is the rainy season again, and while we love the coolness that comes with rainfall, it causes an increase in the incidence of a familiar foe, malaria. It can be really upsetting, slapping yourself while asleep, only to wake up with a palm smeared in blood. Worse still, when fever, fatigue, joint pain, and bad dreams hit, you are often left weak and unproductive.
Malaria is a preventable disease, yet we record about 51 million cases annually in Nigeria, and sadly over 200,000 deaths as well. Indeed, Nigeria has the highest number of malaria infections globally with about 25% of the total cases of malaria worldwide. At Hygeia HMO, our commitment to delivering access to holistic healthcare services guides us to the principle that prevention is better than cure. Indeed, why go through the rigors of malaria when it can be prevented?
As always, we have just what you need to help make malaria history:
1. Spray Your House Regularly
Spraying your house regularly with NAFDAC-approved insecticides will eliminate mosquitos in your house. Please remember to cover foodstuff or cooked food properly before spraying your house. Also, never use insecticides around the fire – they are highly flammable.
2. Keep Your Environment Tidy
The resting and grooming place of mosquitoes is in bushes and bodies of stagnant water. Regular clearing of bushes and still water will go a long way in removing the pesky carriers of malaria, saving you the ordeal of having the disease.
3. Use Insecticide-Treated Nets
The WHO recommends the use of insecticide-treated nets as an important preventive measure in the eradication of malaria. Indeed, sleeping under these nets has been shown to cause up to a 43% drop in the number of infections! Apart from this, using net screens to cover windows and doors helps prevent mosquitos from gaining entry into the house.
4. Cover Up
The Anopheles mosquito is the main vector in malaria infections and it tends to operate more at night. Hence, it is advisable to wear long-sleeve shirts and trousers at night, and also use mosquito repellent lotions that are approved by NAFDAC.
5. Don’t Self-Medicate
When you buy and use malaria drugs without medical consultation, you run the risk of developing resistant malaria. This type of malaria is difficult to treat with routine drugs, and often leads to more infections, and complications and is more likely to kill you. Malaria drugs are to be taken only after a prescription by a doctor, following appropriate testing. It is important that you take the drugs as instructed in order to get the best result.
As always we’ve got you covered, even with the current movement restrictions, as you can get trusted medical advice in the comfort of your home through Telemedicine By Hygeia HMO. All our new plans now come with access to telemedicine. You can also get a telemedicine-only plan for only ₦2,500 for a year. Click here to buy telemedicine.
If you follow these 5 points judiciously, malaria is bound to become history for you and your loved ones.
To inquire more about how you can prevent Malaria through Hygeia HMO plans,
reach us at hycare@hygeiahmo.com and marketinginfo@hygeiahmo.com
Remain safe and please share this post.
By Dr.Okonkwor Oyor C.
