On Tuesday in Abuja, the Ondo government and the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria launched the Immunisation and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services (IMPACT) project.

The initiative is aimed at reducing mortality rates among pregnant women and children under five.

The World Bank-funded initiative seeks to promote ‘Long-Lasting Insecticide-Treated Nets’ and strengthen healthcare providers’ capacity to manage childhood diseases.

It also seeks to encourage preventive malaria treatments such as ‘Intermittent Preventive Treatment in Pregnancy’ and ‘Seasonal Malaria Chemoprophylaxis’.

At the onboarding ceremony for community-based organisations, Folayan Abolaji, Ondo IMPACT project manager, said the goal was to reduce under-five mortality in the state by 40 per cent.

Mr Abolaji said it would mean reducing under-five mortality from 15 to less than 10 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Temitope Kolade, chief of party for the IHVN IMPACT project, highlighted the role of social behavior change communication in driving community acceptance and ownership of the initiative.

Akomolafe Pius, a representative of Knowledge Care Providers, one of the participating CBOs, expressed confidence in the project’s potential for success.

The IMPACT project is expected to contribute significantly to achieving Ondo State’s health goals. It is expected to address barriers to malaria prevention and treatment through coordinated community efforts and strengthened healthcare services.

(NAN)