Poor Funding Hinders Malaria Research – NIMR
Following World Health Organisation (WHO) latest survey which shows that not less than 51 million Nigerians, equivalent to 30 per cent of the population, tested positive to the malaria parasite in 2015, researchers have decried growing paucity of funds required for research which is impeding the roll out of malaria interventions and others. The researchers who are from Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR),Yaba, Lagos, while noting that the highest number of Malaria cases occurred in the North West and North Central zones of the country, raised alarm that Nigeria is not on track for malaria elimination. Lamenting, the Deputy Director (Research) and Head, Malaria Research Programme (NIMR) Dr. Sam Awolola, said with such high malaria burden, and continued reliance on foreign intervention, the country is far from being on track to end the malaria scourge. Awolola, who raised the alarm at a forum organised by NIMR in commemoration of this year’s World Malaria Day