A medical personnel, Dr Jaiye Aderinoye, has warned against self medication in treating malaria prior to diagnosis.

Aderinoye told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Ilorin that people should avoid over the counter drugs in treating malaria without proper diagnosis.

The doctor, who was speaking in commemoration of the 2019 World Malaria Day, said it was not advisable to treat what one is not sure of.

”Nigerians are fond of assuming ailments without proper diagnosis, which should not be so.

”Wrong usage of drugs could lead to something else, so it is better, once any symptom is noticed, to proceed to the hospital to run a test to be sure of what is wrong.

”If proper test is carried out, it will prevent all these deaths that arise as a result of malaria,” Aderinoye said.

He added that he was not against the use of over the counter drugs, but using them without prescription could be disastrous.

Aderinoye, however, advised that malaria should be prevented by sleeping under treated mosquito nets and avoiding stagnant water that breeds mosquito.

Every April 25 is celebrated as the World Malaria Day with the 2019 theme ‘Zero Malaria Starts With Me’.