Over one million under five years children in Nasarawa State are to receive malaria prevention drugs to eliminate the disease.
The State Commissioner for Health, Doctor Gaza Gwamna disclosed this at a press conference in Lafia ahead of the fifth round of the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign.
Mr Gwamna explained that the drugs will be administered for free to eligible children across the 13 Local Government Areas of the State.
He acknowledged the reduction of malaria in the state with support of the Malaria Consortium MC and the World Health Organisation WHO
“We have reduced the malaria burden from 60 percent at the state’s creation in 1996 to 15 per cent today”
To ensure smooth implementation, he stated that 11,247 ad-hoc staff including Community Drug Distributors, Town Announcers, Supervisors, and Health Workers, have been trained and mobilised.
The Commissioner for Health urged residents to go for testing before treatment, cautioning that not all fevers are caused by malaria.
He also stressed the need for residents to always use insecticide-treated mosquito nets, describing it as one of the most effective prevention method.
The State Programme Manager for Malaria Consortium,, Kassim Musa-Khalid in a remark, pointed out that the implementation of the 2025 campaign began in June expressing optimism that the State will achieve its malaria elimination goals with sustained stakeholders’ support.
About The Author
