Kano Gov’t Targets 3.5m Children For Free Malaria Drugs

The Kano State government has flagged off the house-to-house distribution of free malaria drugs to children under the age of five.

The state’s Commissioner of Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran, while flagging off the 2024 Seasonal Malaria Chemopreventive (SMC) exercise at the Nassarawa Hospital, said the state is targeting 3.5 million children across the state in the four months period of the exercise.

Dr. Labaran noted that malaria accounts for about 60 percent of most hospital outpatient visits and consultation, as well as 30 percent of hospital admissions in the state.

According to him, in the first quarter of 2023, about 413,827 individuals were diagnosed and confirmed to have uncomplicated malaria and received treatment while 63 children under the age of five died from the disease.

“To address these challenges, the World Health Organization (WHO) has strongly recommended the use of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) as a proven intervention that is cost-effective, safe and reliable for malaria prevention, especially in regions with highly seasonal malaria transmission.

“This intervention aims at reaching about 3,490,355 million 3-59 months old children in order to prevent malaria episodes among the targeted groups,” Dr. Labaran said.

While commending the federal and state governments as well as partners for their support, Dr. Labaran urged parents to make their children available for the monthly drug administration to help in reducing the disease burden and keep them safe, especially during the rainy season.