Malaria: FG to deploy new intervention for children in Southern Nigeria

By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

The national authorities has announced plans to present a caller malaria prevention strategy for children nether 5 successful confederate Nigeria, pursuing encouraging outcomes from caller tract studies.

National Coordinator of the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), Dr. Nnena Ogbluafor, disclosed this astatine the National Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention Research and Policy Dissemination Meeting successful Abuja.

She explained that the intervention, known arsenic Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention (PMC), is tailored for areas with year-round rainfall and continuous malaria transmission, peculiarly successful the confederate region.

“From what we person seen successful the field, this involution is highly favorable. Evidence shows that children who instrumentality it arsenic recommended are importantly protected from malaria. We person besides observed a crisp simplification successful the severity of cases among those who adhered to the guidelines,” Dr. Ogbluafor said.

She noted that the findings align with Nigeria’s kid endurance strategies and volition complement existing tools specified arsenic insecticide-treated nets, antimalarial medicines, and the precocious introduced malaria vaccine.

“Nigeria present has a wide handbasket of evidence-based interventions to support children. We impulse caregivers to avail their children of each these measures truthful that, successful a seamless manner, we tin destruct malaria successful Nigeria,” she added.

Malaria remains 1 of the starring causes of kid mortality successful Nigeria, and experts judge that innovative measures similar PMC could accelerate eradication efforts.

Strategic Adviser connected Malaria Elimination to the Minister of Health, Prof. Olugbenga Mokuolu, stressed that malaria cannot beryllium eliminated with a azygous approach.

“Our strategies indispensable code some the mosquito, which is the vector, and the illness itself. This means combining vector power with drug-based prevention,” helium explained.

He noted that portion Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) has been successfully implemented successful 21 bluish states, the confederate portion presents greater challenges owed to its year-round transmission pattern.

“That is wherefore we person developed PMC. A aviator survey has confirmed its feasibility and logistics, and we are present preparing to standard up implementation crossed confederate states,” helium said.

Prof. Mokuolu besides emphasized idiosyncratic work successful malaria prevention:

“Malaria is everybody’s business. If I usage preventive measures similar sleeping nether treated nets, keeping my situation clean, and adopting chemo-prevention, I support my humor escaped of the parasite. When the mosquito bites, it has thing to transmit, and that is however we tin collectively interruption the chain.”

At the authorities level, Dr. Akeem Bello, Director of Public Health successful Osun State, reported that PMC has already shown affirmative results successful 8 section authorities areas wherever it is being piloted.

“The essence of PMC is to support under-five children by providing preventive doses astatine regular intervals. We person seen important gains and are present moving with partners to widen the programme crossed each section governments successful Osun State,” helium said.

Representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Malaria Consortium reaffirmed their committedness to supporting Nigeria’s malaria elimination drive. They underscored the value of sustained authorities leadership, beardown partnerships, and assemblage information to guarantee nary kid dies from the disease.

The station Malaria: FG to deploy caller involution for children successful Southern Nigeria appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.