A zoology professor has urged continuous monitoring of Nigeria’s frontline antimalarial treatment to guard against drug resistance.
Speaking at the University of Lagos on Wednesday, Professor Emmanuel Taiwo Idowu warned that Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT), in use for two decades, must be closely tracked despite no documented resistance so far.
“Surveillance is essential. We must be able to identify truly resistant parasites early enough for prompt intervention,” he said during the university’s 21st inaugural lecture of the academic session, titled Parasites in the Life of Man.
He called for routine efficacy testing of Artemether-Lumefantrine, Nigeria’s first-line ACT, alongside broader measures including improved sanitation, mass drug administration and stronger environmental management. Professor Idowu also recommended incorporating new insecticides to counter resistance in malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
His research, which has shaped disease control policies in Nigeria, covers malaria, onchocerciasis and schistosomiasis.
The lecture was chaired by Professor Bola Oboh, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics and Research), and attended by colleagues, students, and family members.
Malaria remains one of Nigeria’s leading health challenges, with the World Health Organisation estimating that the country accounts for more than a quarter of global cases.
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