🦟 Men's Health

Malaria Prevention in Nigeria

Protecting yourself and your family from Nigeria's most common disease.

Malaria kills more Nigerians than almost any other infectious disease — particularly children under 5 and pregnant women. Prevention is highly effective and available. This page covers insecticide-treated bed nets, chemoprevention, environmental control, rapid testing, and appropriate treatment — the complete prevention toolkit.

Signs and Symptoms

✓ Prevention is the goal — this page covers how to avoid infection

✓ Classic malaria symptoms to recognise: fever with chills and rigors, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, nausea

✓ Complicated malaria: very high fever, confusion, convulsions, inability to eat or drink, difficulty breathing

✓ Not every fever is malaria — test before treating to avoid inappropriate antibiotic use and missed diagnoses

Risk Factors

Children under 5 — highest mortality risk
Pregnant women — malaria in pregnancy causes miscarriage, anaemia, and low birth weight
People with HIV — higher risk of severe malaria
People with sickle cell disease — more severe malaria episodes
People who have moved from low-malaria areas to Lagos — reduced partial immunity
Sleeping without insecticide-treated bed nets
Outdoor evening and nighttime exposure (peak Anopheles mosquito biting time)
Areas with poor drainage or stagnant water — breeding grounds

When to Seek Help

NowHigh fever with confusion, convulsions, inability to take oral fluids, rapid breathing, or very high parasitaemia — severe malaria requires emergency IV artesunate treatment in hospital.

SoonFever in a child under 5 lasting more than 24 hours, or fever with other malaria symptoms in any person — test and treat promptly. Uncomplicated malaria becomes severe rapidly in children.

RoutineAntenatal care: intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine monthly in the second and third trimesters.

Tests & Diagnosis

🧪 Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT)

The WHO-recommended first-line test — a simple finger-prick blood test with results in 15 minutes. Highly accurate (95%+ sensitivity and specificity). Available at Mascot Healthcare and many pharmacies. Test BEFORE treating.

🧪 Blood Film (Thick and Thin)

Microscopy to identify the parasite and quantify parasitaemia. More sensitive than RDT for non-falciparum malaria and used in hospital settings for severe malaria monitoring.

🧪 Full Blood Count

Anaemia (from red cell destruction), low platelets (thrombocytopenia), and leucopenia are common in malaria.

🧪 Blood Glucose

Hypoglycaemia occurs in severe malaria — especially in children and pregnant women. Must be checked and treated urgently.

Treatment Options

Test Before Treating

Do not treat for malaria without a positive test. Over-treatment with artemisinin-based drugs for presumed malaria without testing drives resistance and delays diagnosis of other causes of fever.

ACT — Artemether/Lumefantrine (Coartem)

First-line treatment for uncomplicated falciparum malaria. Six-dose course over 3 days — must be taken with food for adequate absorption. Complete all 6 doses. See the Coartem medication guide.

Prevention — Insecticide-Treated Bed Nets (ITNs)

The most cost-effective malaria prevention tool. Use every night — peak mosquito biting is between 10pm and 2am. Replace nets every 3 years (insecticide efficacy declines). Long-lasting insecticide nets (LLINs) are available through government programmes and pharmacies.

Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS)

Spraying the inside walls of homes with long-acting insecticide — highly effective when done systematically. Available through government malaria programmes.

Chemoprevention in Pregnancy (IPTp)

Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine given at each antenatal visit from the second trimester — reduces malaria in pregnancy, maternal anaemia, and low birth weight significantly.

Malaria Vaccine (R21/RTS,S)

The WHO-recommended malaria vaccine for children in sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria is rolling out the R21 vaccine through routine immunisation. Reduces malaria episodes by approximately 75%.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is every fever malaria?

No — fever in Nigeria has many causes: viral illness, typhoid, urinary tract infection, pneumonia, meningitis, and others. Testing with an RDT before treating for malaria is essential. Treating malaria when it is not present delays the correct diagnosis.

Can malaria come back after treatment?

Malaria can recur by reinfection (a new mosquito bite) or occasionally by relapse (vivax and ovale malaria have dormant liver stages). If symptoms return within 4 weeks after treatment, testing and a different antimalarial may be needed.

Are traditional malaria remedies effective?

No herbal or traditional remedy has been shown to cure malaria effectively or rapidly enough to prevent progression to severe disease. Treat with an evidence-based ACT (Coartem) and seek medical care promptly.

Do mosquito coils and repellents protect against malaria?

Repellents (DEET-based) and coils reduce mosquito biting but do not completely prevent malaria. Insecticide-treated bed nets provide significantly better protection, particularly during sleeping hours when most transmission occurs.

Is the malaria vaccine available in Nigeria?

The R21 malaria vaccine has been recommended by the WHO and is being rolled out in Nigeria for children. Check with your local health facility or immunisation centre for current availability.