{"id":2351,"date":"2026-07-26T22:37:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T21:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=2351"},"modified":"2026-07-26T22:37:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T21:37:20","slug":"the-rising-cases-of-malaria-among-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=2351","title":{"rendered":"The Rising Cases Of Malaria Among Students"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Oghenetega Oyovwe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malaria remains one of the most common health challenges affecting students in Nigeria. Despite awareness campaigns and preventive measures introduced by health authorities, the disease continues to threaten students’ health, academic performance, and overall well-being. The increasing number of malaria cases among students has become a growing concern for parents, school authorities, and healthcare professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the major causes of the rising cases of malaria among students is poor environmental sanitation. Many students live in environments with stagnant water, blocked drainage systems, and overgrown bushes, all of which serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The female Anopheles<\/em> mosquito, which transmits the malaria parasite, thrives in such conditions. Students who fail to maintain clean surroundings expose themselves to mosquito bites and, consequently, malaria infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another factor contributing to the increase in malaria cases is the failure of students to adopt preventive measures. Although insecticide-treated mosquito nets are widely available, many students do not use them regularly. Some find the nets uncomfortable, especially during hot weather, while others simply neglect their use. In addition, many students do not use mosquito repellents or insecticide sprays, increasing their risk of contracting the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poor health-seeking behavior also contributes significantly to the problem. Instead of seeking medical attention when they experience symptoms such as fever, headache, body weakness, and loss of appetite, many students resort to self-medication. This often leads to improper treatment, delayed recovery, and, in some cases, serious complications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Etieberemhe Oboh Hannah, a student of Delta State University, Abraka, shared her experience with managing malaria and the importance of seeking professional medical care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Most times, I don’t have enough money to buy drugs on my own, so I rely on the free medical services provided by the university health centre. As a registered student, I use my medical card to receive checkups and prescribed medication whenever I am sick. This has helped me receive proper treatment instead of self-medicating.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another student, Okpewho Daniel, a 200-level undergraduate of Delta State University living off campus in Abraka, recounted how self-medication nearly worsened his condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It all started with a slight headache and fever after a long day of lectures. At first, I thought it was stress because I had been studying late every night for my continuous assessment. Instead of going to the university health centre, I bought malaria drugs from a nearby chemist because my friends said that was how everyone in Abraka treated malaria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Unfortunately, my condition became worse. I developed severe body pains and weakness and could barely leave my room. I kept taking different drugs based on my friends’ recommendations because I was worried about the cost of treatment and didn’t want to miss classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I eventually collapsed while trying to attend a lecture. My roommate rushed me to the university health centre, where I was tested and diagnosed with malaria. The doctor explained that delaying proper treatment had allowed the illness to become more severe. After receiving the correct treatment, I gradually recovered. Today, I encourage other students not to repeat my mistake. It is safer to seek medical attention than to assume every fever is ordinary stress or to rely on self-medication.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of malaria on students are far-reaching. Frequent illness results in absenteeism from lectures, poor academic performance, reduced participation in extracurricular activities, and increased financial pressure on students and their families. In severe cases, malaria can lead to hospitalization and even death if left untreated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health experts recommend several measures to reduce the prevalence of malaria among students. Students are encouraged to maintain proper environmental sanitation by clearing bushes, disposing of refuse appropriately, and preventing stagnant water around their residences. They should also sleep under insecticide-treated mosquito nets, use mosquito repellents where necessary, and seek prompt medical attention whenever malaria symptoms appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Educational institutions also have a vital role to play by intensifying health awareness campaigns and encouraging students to utilize available healthcare services instead of resorting to self-medication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malaria remains a major public health challenge among students. However, with improved environmental sanitation, consistent use of preventive measures, and greater health awareness, its impact can be significantly reduced. Combating malaria requires a collective effort from students, educational institutions, healthcare providers, and government agencies to ensure a healthier and more productive learning environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Oghenetega Oyovwe Malaria remains one of the most common health challenges affecting students in Nigeria. Despite awareness campaigns and preventive measures introduced by health authorities, the disease continues to threaten students’ health, academic performance, and overall well-being. The increasing number of malaria cases among students has become a growing concern for parents, school authorities, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"iawp_total_views":14,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,7,14],"tags":[25,33,201,28],"class_list":["post-2351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abrakametro","category-healthcorner","category-trendingnews","tag-delsu","tag-health","tag-malaria","tag-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2351"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2353,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2351\/revisions\/2353"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}