The Lagos State Government and the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) have agreed to intensify collaboration aimed at reducing malaria transmission and achieving sustainable elimination across the state.
At a strategic meeting, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, called for greater use of surveillance data, digital technology and scientific evidence to identify malaria hotspots and guide targeted interventions such as Larval Source Management (LSM) and Insecticide-Treated Nets (ITNs).
Abayomi said malaria positivity in government health facilities had dropped from about 60 per cent to below five per cent following the state’s test-before-treatment policy. He stressed that positive cases should now be used to identify areas where malaria transmission persists.
The National Coordinator of NMEP, Dr Nnenna Ogbulafor, commended Lagos for its progress and pledged Federal support through targeted ITN distribution, hotspot mapping, community mobilisation and consideration of vaccines and other innovative interventions.
NMEP also highlighted the use of digital technology to map water bodies, monitor mosquito larvae and track LSM activities in real time, with interventions planned for identified clusters in Ikorodu and Eti-Osa.
Both parties agreed to hold a broader technical session to harmonise data and develop a coordinated implementation framework as Lagos works towards sustainable malaria elimination.
