Malaria: Kaduna To Distribute 4.5m Treated Nets – Official

The Kaduna government said it would distribute 4.5 million insecticide-treated nets to 1.8 million households in the state.

Permanent secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Health, Dr Aishatu Abubakar-Sadiq, said this at a news conference yesterday in Kaduna.

She said the exercise billed to hold from June 30 to July 3, is being implemented in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Programme, Catholic Relief Services, Society for Family Health, and Malaria Consortium.

“The distribution campaign is one of the major strategies to deliver nets to the general populace, and Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC).

“Nigeria’s key strategy plan for vector control is to improve access and utilisation of vector control interventions to at least 80 per cent of the targeted population by 2025,” she said.

Abubakar-Sadiq said the nets’ distribution campaign would be integrated with the SMC, adding that: “SMC is a lifesaving intervention where SPAQ, a malaria prevention drug will be given to children aged 3-59 months.”

She appealed to the residents in the state to support the intervention by making their children available for administration of SPAQ.

According to Abubakar-Sadiq, the malaria drug will be administered to about two million children under five between June and September, in line with the National Programme’s strategy.

“This year’s campaign will witness a slight modification.

“In line with the targeted distribution strategy of the National Programme to preserve our environment, we will be retrieving old nets through the End of Life of Nets programme,” she said.

She further urged residents to redeem new nets with their e-token at designated distribution points across the state. (NAN)