Review Article

Malaria, Antimalarials And the Rising Spate of Antimalarial Resistance in Nigeria: A Global Threat

Abstract

Malaria is an endemic disease prevalent in the sub-Saharan Africa region, South-East Asia and the East Mediterranean regions. In 2023, there was an estimated 263 million malaria cases and 597,000 deaths globally with the African region bearing the largest share of the disease. Nigeria had a huge share of the disease at 27% of the total estimate. Hence, the use of antimalarials in the treatment of this menace in Nigeria cannot be underemphasized. There are increased malaria parasite cases, most fevers are attributed to malaria and over the counter self-medication is on the rise; these reports have given rise to antimalarial/microbial resistance which is becoming of global public health concern. Journals from 2014- 2025 related to the spread of antimalarial resistance (AMR) were gotten from public databases using Google scholar and PubMed. The search was made using key words like “malaria”, “antimalarials”, “antimalarial resistance”, “One health approach”, “antimalarial abuse in Nigeria”. Out of 178 articles providing details on these topics singly or in combination were filtered and used for building up this review work, fifty were referenced. This review was also used to provide the overview of the growing issue of AMR in Nigeria and how it can affect the global community. This study captures malaria, different antimalarials used, their mechanism of actions and the genetic markers used for the detection of malaria especially the drug-resistant parasites. Early testing, treatment with quality antimalarials, environmental cleanliness and enlightenment campaigns on malaria and drug resistance is advocated to prevent emergence of resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Validation and verification of different tests kits used for identification should be carried out to ensure accuracy and reliability of the reagents and kits used. The use of antimalarials and antibiotics should be regulated and used only when needed. Education on preventive measures, compliance when on treatment with antimalarials and enlightenment campaigns should be encouraged to eliminate malaria.