NMEP tasks Nigerians on behavioural change to achieve target

As Nigeria targets malaria elimination by 2030, the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) has harped on the importance of behavioural change to reduce the burden of malaria and achieve the set target.

The National Coordinator of NMEP, Godwin Ntadom, made the call Wednesday during an interview with journalists in Abuja at the Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria Learning and Transition event.

The event themed: “Celebrating Successes, Consolidating Learning, and Transitioning for Sustainability”, highlights the achievements of Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria, USAID’s global flagship social and behavioural change project in the past seven years in health areas ranging from malaria prevention to maternal and childbirth, among others.

According to Mr Ntadom, “human behaviour” contributes to the challenges in the fight against malaria in Nigeria.

“We distribute nets, but people are not using them. Some even get sick and they don’t get treated. So we need to change attitudes and human behaviour,” he noted.

“When you get the symptoms of malaria, you should get yourself tested or treated, definitely another mosquito will not pick the parasite from you to further spread it.”

Importance of behavioural change

Mr Ntadom said as far back as 1897 when Ronald Ross discovered the malaria parasite, countries took proactive measures and Belgium was able to eliminate malaria through social and behavioural change (SBC).

“By 1900, it was clear that mosquitoes that were transmitting malaria to man. With this knowledge alone, some countries took proactive action,” the public health expert recounted.

“Then there was no chloroquine, quinine or DDT, just behavioural change led to the elimination of malaria in Belgium in 1912, and the United Kingdom followed suit, and they were able to eliminate malaria in 1922.

“Going forward, you cannot underplay the role of behavioural change, because if we adopt it, we know where the mosquitoes are breeding, we know how malaria is transmitted, so we don’t need any additional thing to keep us away.”

He added that at NMEP, “we can never underplay the role of social behavioural change in the effort to eliminate malaria in the country.”

SBC is a comprehensive approach that focuses on influencing and modifying individuals’ or communities’ attitudes, beliefs, and practices.

Nigeria’s efforts, partnership

According to Mr Ntadom, Nigeria is still far towards the elimination of malaria, but hopefully, more can be achieved by the set target.

“We are in control of malaria by technical definition. We begin to talk about elimination when we begin to see one case in 1,000 people but now we are still seeing 20 cases in 100 people, so we are still controlling,” he said.

He noted that the NMEP needs resources to reach more populations, adding that the malaria vaccine is still a work in progress for Nigeria.

Mr Ntadom also admitted that the partnership with the Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria project has been beneficial in eliciting some change in behavioural patterns among Nigerians.

“Working with them has been wonderful, we have gone far with them. We wish it could continue if possible and be supported by other organisations. It is a partnership we want to continue,” he said.

About project

During the transition and learning event in Abuja, the Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria project officially transitioned efforts and results to government agencies and community organisations.

The project works under the leadership of the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programmes and partnered with federal and state ministries of health and local organisations applying social and behavioural change (SBC) to change health outcomes.

Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria is said to be the largest social and behaviour country programme ever funded by USAID/Nigeria at a total investment of more than $100 million over seven years.

“In the seven years of Breakthrough ACTION Nigeria’s implementation, we believe we have transformed the landscape for SBC program implementation in our 12 intervention states,” the Project Director of Breakthrough ACTION Nigeria, Shittu-Abdu Aguye said in his welcome address.

“Through our community, mass media, mobile/digital, provider behaviour, advocacy and SBC capacity building interventions, Breakthrough ACTION Nigeria has walked the talk as far as implementation of SBC programmes in Nigeria goes.”