From Mustapha Adamu, Kano
Kano State Government is targeting 3,193,002 million children between 0-59 months for malaria chemoprevention in July 2022, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Aminu Tsanyawa has said.
He made this known yesterday at a news conference to commemorate the 2022 World Malaria Day (WMD) in Kano, annually observed on April 25 around the globe to raise awareness about the pandemic that has continued to claim lives and send millions to hospital.
It is a day marked by all member states of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to underscore the collective energy and commitments of the global malaria community in uniting around the common goal of a world free of malaria.
The global observance has “Harness Innovation to Reduce the Malaria Disease Burden and Save Lives” as its 2022 theme.
The theme is a call for investments and innovation that will bring new vector control approaches, diagnostics, antimalarial medicines and other tools to speed the pace of progress against malaria, which has pain in the muscles or abdomen, fever, chills, fatigue, malaise, shivering, or sweating, vomiting and headache as symptoms.
Tsanyawa, represented by Dr Ashiru Rajab, the Director, Public Health in the Kano State Ministry of Health, said “all target children must complete the four doses of the chemoprevention.”
Also known as Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC), the measure involves administering monthly doses of antimalarial drugs to children during peak malaria transmission season.
It is an effective intervention to prevent malaria in those vulnerable to the disease’s effect.
According to him, the medication needs to be taken in full for maximum effect; so, there should never be a break in its administration.
The commissioner, therefore, urged parents to ensuring that their children got the four-day cycle of mass distribution of the malaria prevention drug.
He appealed to the private sector and development partners to contribute and support the government for effective control of malaria.
