The Impact of Malaria on the People of Anambra State Nigeria and their Response to the Disease

Abstract

Malaria has been identified as a major public health problem in sub-Saharan African countries such as Nigeria, where the disease’s morbidity and mortality for children under 5 years of age, pregnant women and the very old is very high. Anambra State and Nigeria as a country have experienced a continuous lack of access and healthcare underutilization of biomedical health services for malaria treatment and has suffered immensely due to poverty. Malaria more heavily affects people who are in poverty, as they have no means of paying for healthcare. It is a common infectious disease that is widespread in most tropical regions of the world, especially Asia and Sub-Saharan African countries where malaria infects about 515 million persons a year and is responsible for 1.5 to 2 million deaths per annum among children under age 5. Malaria has been linked to poverty, since it is known to affect people and regions in poverty that cannot afford malaria treatment (WHO, 2015).