Kwara First Lady Appointed Malaria Ambassador

Society for Family Health Nigeria and partners have appointed the wife of Kwara State Governor Olufolake Abdulrazaq as Malaria Ambassador for the state.

The society said her appointment will help create awareness and signify community acceptance and ownership of the campaign while expressing optimism that the first lady will champion the mission to eradicate malaria and raise awareness about its devastating impact on communities in the state.

At the investiture in Abuja, the managing director of the Society for Family Health, Dr Omokhudu Idogho, said, “As the Malaria Ambassador, the first lady will play a pivotal role in advocating for malaria prevention, treatment, and research efforts, using her influential voice. She will support initiatives aimed at increasing public awareness, encouraging community engagement, and mobilising resources for malaria elimination campaigns.”

He urged her to use her role/office as the chair of the Governors Wives Forum to extend the message of malaria elimination and prevention to other states.

Represented by the DMD, strategy, technical and growth in the society, Dr Jennifer Anyanti,  Omokhudu said the Society for Family Health is a sub-recipient in the Global Fund Malaria 2021-2023 grant in Nigeria and in its efforts to eliminate malaria, has commenced 2023 integrated Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) and Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) mass campaign in Kwara State.

“This is the first SMC/ITN integrated mass campaign in the world and it is a breakthrough in health campaigns. A total of 2,292,209 ITNs will be distributed to the people of Kwara State through a door-to-door approach to all the populace of Kwara State while a total of 2,283,800 SPAQ will be administered to eligible children aged 3-59 months.

“The objective of the integrated SMC/ ITN mass campaign is to ensure that for every two persons in Kwara state, there is one-bed net to sleep inside, and every eligible child receives a full course of SPAQ. Simultaneous household registration and distribution of ITNs and SPAQ commence on the 19th of October and will end 1st of November, 2022,” she said.

In her speech, the first lady thanked the Federal Ministry of Health, Kwara State Ministry of Health and the Roll Back Malaria Partners for choosing her as the Malaria ambassador for Kwara State.

She pledged to use different channels and resources to disseminate messages on the use of malaria preventive medicines for children 3 to 59 months and insecticide-treated nets to ensure that these children and families are protected from malaria.

“I will also mobilize all the Malaria Advocates of the Local Government Areas who will, in turn, mobilize the people at the grassroots so that the percentage of adherence to the full 3-day course of SPAQ in this 4th cycle and net utilization in Kwara State becomes highest in the country.

“By the grace of God, I will work with other stakeholders to ensure that children no longer die of malaria, no pregnant women have miscarriages or give birth to low-birth-weight children due to malaria and generally reduce the burden of malaria in Kwara State,” she said.