Lagos Achieves 1.3% Malaria Prevalence, Moving Closer to WHO’s Pre-Elimination Target

Lagos State is on the brink of achieving malaria pre-elimination, with the latest data showing a significant decline in malaria prevalence to just 1.3%, according to the state’s Health Commissioner, Prof. Akin Abayomi. This progress positions Lagos on a promising path toward meeting the World Health Organization’s (WHO) pre-elimination benchmark.

In a speech on Friday during an awareness walk and strategic stakeholders’ engagement held to commemorate World Malaria Day 2025, Prof. Abayomi attributed the state’s success to targeted, data-driven interventions aimed at controlling the disease. The event, themed “Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite,” was organized by the Lagos State Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Society for Family Health (SFH) and Goodknight Nigeria.

Over the past 15 years, Lagos has made remarkable strides in the fight against malaria. The prevalence of the disease has decreased from 15% in 2010 to 3% in 2023, and most recently, the state’s malaria rate stands at a promising 1.3% as of March-April 2025. Prof. Abayomi emphasized that this remarkable reduction indicates that Lagos is well on its way to reaching malaria pre-elimination, marking a significant milestone in public health.

Describing malaria as a vector-borne disease spread by the female Anopheles mosquito, the Commissioner stressed the importance of early detection and the proper use of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) for confirmed cases. He also urged residents to trust malaria test results and avoid unnecessary over-treatment.

Despite the reduction in cases, Prof. Abayomi raised concerns over the continued misuse of anti-malarial drugs. Even with only 3% of people testing positive for malaria, over half of those with fever are still being treated for the disease. He called for increased public education and responsible drug prescription by healthcare providers.

Vulnerable populations, particularly pregnant women and children under five, remain a key focus of malaria control efforts. Prof. Abayomi highlighted the need to ensure proper testing and treatment for these groups, whose immune systems are more susceptible to the disease.

The Commissioner also lauded Lagos’s long-standing partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Federal Ministry of Health, and the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria under the IMPACT Project, which has been instrumental in advancing the state’s malaria elimination agenda.

Lagos’s sustained commitment to the National Malaria Strategic Plan was also acknowledged, with Prof. Abayomi crediting the success to continuous testing, effective treatment, and robust data tracking. He commended the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, whose unwavering support for the malaria pre-elimination agenda reflects a commitment to eradicating the disease from the state.

In her address, Aisha Abdulkareem, Assistant Public Health Officer for WHO, called for renewed global efforts to control malaria, emphasizing the importance of reinvesting in proven interventions and rethinking strategies to ensure continued progress. She highlighted that, despite progress in the past two decades, challenges such as climate change, conflict, and economic instability have hindered global efforts to eradicate malaria.

The event concluded with a call for greater collective action at both local and global levels to ensure the successful elimination of malaria, which remains a critical public health challenge worldwide.