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The state commissioner of Lagos for health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, launched the alarm for the widespread incorrect diagnosis of malaria in the state, revealing that 95 percent of diseases related to fever reported in healthcare structures are not caused by malaria.
Abayomi made this surprising disclosure on Saturday during a three-day program labeled “Pathway to pre-elimination and digitization” held in Lagos.
The initiative is supported by a subsidy of the World Bank and coordinated by Professor Wellington Oyibo, director of the Center for Transdisciplinary Research for malaria and neglected tropical diseases.
According to Abayomi, the last analysis of the state data has shown a trend relating to excessive dependence on the alleged treatments for malaria, which has contributed significantly to the antimicrobial resistance (Amr) and the ineffective management of fever.
“On average, 95 out of 100 cases of fever are not malaria. However, we continue to treat all the fever like malaria. This has to stop,” said Abayomi.
He warned that the rampant use of antimalaric and antibiotic drugs without a correct diagnosis is to feed the resistance to drugs, also making the common infections more difficult to treat.
“We are at risk of becoming the capital of the antimicrobial resistance if we do not change course. Treating the fever blindly is not only dangerous, but he is killing people slowly,” he added.
The commissioner underlined the need for a movement of the paradigm among healthcare professionals, in particular in the private sector, embrace the diagnosis based on evidence using rapid diagnostic tests (Rdt) and other tools rather than rely on conjectures.
He revealed that pursuant to the state fever management protocol, patients with fever should first undergo malaria tests. If the result is negative, doctors will be in charge of studying other causes such as pneumonia, gastroenteritis, dense fever or E. coli infections.
Speaking also to the event, Prof. Oyibo highlighted the serious consequences of the incorrect diagnosis, in particular in children. He observed that some not malaria diseases imitate the symptoms of malaria and the administration of the wrong treatment could be fatal.
“If a child has pneumonia and is erroneously cared for with antimalaric drugs, that child could die in a few hours. The incorrect diagnosis remains one of the main causes of preventable deaths and contributes to our high burden of malaria,” said Oyibo.
He described the new fever management framework as a bold move towards digitized medical assistance, led by the data and specifics of the patient in Nigeria.
Abayomi also reiterated that it is illegal for people to buy antimalaric or antibiotic drugs without prescription from a certified health professional.
“The cornerstone of our new strategy is an accurate test. If a patient is tested negative for malaria, we have to do the more mile to identify the actual cause rather than default for the treatment of malaria,” he observed.
Lagos, according to Oyibo, is currently the only state in Nigeria who approaches the state of pre-elimination of malaria, a milestone that can only be supported through accurate diagnosis and targeted treatment.
The ongoing project aims to revolutionize the management of feverish diseases in Lagos, reduce the consumption of unnecessary drugs and strengthen the fight against drug resistance through the release of intelligent health care.
The time of the platform have collected that the state government is working to ensure that public and private health care providers are equipped and trained to respect the new fever management protocol at all levels of assistance.
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