Lagos State Health Commissioner Declares Malaria a ‘Rare Disease,’ Citing 1.3% Prevalence and Urges End to Presumptive Treatment

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, has made a significant declaration regarding the state’s public health landscape, asserting that malaria is now statistically a “rare disease” within Lagos and is no longer the primary cause of fever among residents.

Speaking at a recent public health review engagement, Professor Abayomi presented data confirming that Lagos State has reached a Malaria Prevalence Rate of just 1.3%, a monumental decline from the 15% recorded in 2010. This rate places Lagos firmly in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) pre-elimination threshold, making it the only state in Nigeria to achieve this epidemiological status.

However, the Commissioner cautioned that this milestone is threatened by a persistent cultural problem: the presumptive treatment of fever as malaria without proper diagnostic testing. He warned that despite the low prevalence, data shows over 50 per cent of patients presenting with febrile illnesses are still being treated with antimalarials, often resulting in misdiagnosis and drug misuse.

This practice not only delays correct treatment for other underlying conditions, such as bacterial or viral infections, but also accelerates the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a growing global health crisis. To consolidate the gains, the Lagos State Government has intensified the rollout of its Pathway to Malaria Pre-Elimination and Digitisation Program, which mandates strict adherence to the “test-before-treatment” protocol across all healthcare facilities, private and public.

The Commissioner urged all residents to demand diagnostic tests whenever they present with a fever, emphasizing that every stakeholder must actively work to sustain this historic progress towards a malaria-free Lagos.