Dr Chinagozi Adindu, the Executive Secretary of the Abia State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, has hailed the discovery of malaria vaccine after many years of futile efforts.
Adindu said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia on Thursday that the development would help to strengthen the fight against the disease in the country.
He described the invention as a major breakthrough in the health sector, especially for the child health management in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.
According to him, government at all levels had made concerted efforts over the years to fight malaria through public enlightenment programmes as well as orthodox and therapeutic methods, without success.
“It is therefore gratifying that the vaccine has been discovered because it will go a long way in strengthening the fight against the scourge in Nigeria and Africa at large,” he said.
He described malaria as an endemic disease and expressed optimism that the vaccine would help to protect people against the disease, especially the poor and vulnerable.
He was optimistic that Nigerians would readily accept the vaccine, after it had successfully passed through the necessary tests and approval by the National Food and Drug Administration and Control and other relevant agencies in the country.
Also, the Administrator of Madonna Catholic Hospital in Umuahia, Rev. Fr. Christian Anokwuru, described the invention of the vaccine as another technological feat by researchers, scientists and the World Health Organisation.
Anokwuru said that the vaccine had brought hope for Nigerian children and others across the sub-Sahara Africa, who had been at the mercy of the scourge for ages.
“This is a welcome development for us in the health sector, Nigerians and Africans in general.
“It gives us hope that our children will no longer die in their numbers due to the lack of vaccine for malaria,” he said.
He commended researchers and scientists for their doggedness and unrelenting efforts which, he said, led to this historic feat in the health sector. (NAN)
