Cases of malaria have been on the increase in recent times in your country. Write a letter to the Minister of Health, discussing your observation and sugges...

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24, Hospital Road,
Owerri,
Imo State.
15 June, 2024.

The Honourable Minister of Health,
Federal Ministry of Health,
Abuja.

Dear Sir,

THE RISING CASES OF MALARIA IN OUR COUNTRY

I write to express my deep concern over the sharp increase in cases of malaria in recent times, and to suggest some measures that may help to curb this dangerous disease.

From my own observation, malaria has become distressingly common in both towns and villages. Hospital wards are crowded with patients, many of them little children, and a good number of the deaths recorded in our communities are traceable to it. The disease has kept workers away from their duties and pupils away from school, and has drained the meagre income of poor families spent on drugs and treatment.

The causes are not far to seek. Stagnant water in gutters, discarded tins and abandoned containers provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes, while heaps of refuse and overgrown bushes surround many homes. Worse still, a large number of people cannot afford treated nets or proper medical care.

In the light of this, I humbly suggest the following remedies. First, the government should embark on a vigorous public enlightenment campaign to teach citizens how to keep their surroundings clean and to clear stagnant water and bushes where mosquitoes breed. Secondly, insecticide-treated mosquito nets should be produced and distributed free, or at highly subsidised rates, especially to pregnant women and children. Thirdly, antimalarial drugs and testing should be made available and affordable in all government hospitals and health centres. In addition, periodic fumigation of towns and villages would greatly reduce the mosquito population.

I am persuaded that, if these measures are earnestly pursued, the scourge of malaria will be brought under control and countless lives will be saved. I look forward to your prompt and favourable action.

Thank you, Sir.

Yours faithfully,
Chidinma Okeke.