The federal ministry of health has inaugurated a pilot study to assess the effectiveness of Intermittent Preventive Treatment in School-Aged Children (IPTsc) in Nigeria’s malaria-endemic regions.

At the launch held on Thursday in Abuja, Dr Tunji Alausa, the minister of state for health and social welfare, introduced the initiative as a key meeting of the National IPTsc Research and Uptake Task Team.

The launch was attended by representatives from the World Bank, various ministries, departments, agencies, academia, development partners, and advocates.

Mr Alausa said that the study would evaluate the protective effects of subduing pyrimethamine plus amodiaquine (SPAQ) and dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHP) among schoolchildren aged five to 12 years in Sokoto and Cross River states.

“The pilot study, running from September 2024 to December 2025, aims to generate evidence to guide policy development and the potential scale-up of IPTsc nationwide.

“This intervention is expected to complement existing malaria prevention strategies, such as insecticide-treated nets, seasonal malaria chemoprevention, and intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy.

“It will also improve malaria surveillance and treatment outcomes,” he said.

He emphasised the study’s importance in addressing Nigeria’s significant malaria burden, which constitutes a large portion of global malaria deaths.

He said that there was current lack of sufficient evidence on the feasibility and effectiveness of IPTsc in Nigeria.

The minister introduced the task team, comprising experts from various ministries, departments, agencies, programmes , academia, and professional organisations.

The team also comprises representatives from the national malaria elimination programme and the federal ministry of health.

“This study will provide the Nigerian government with critical data to make informed decisions.

“Such decisions will bother on deploying the intervention to complement other tools, particularly in the context of sub-national tailoring and the adoption of appropriate intervention mixes.

“The team’s role is to facilitate decision-making on IPTsc based on the study’s data.

“The meeting concluded with a strong commitment from all stakeholders to work towards improving Nigeria’s health statistics in alignment with President Bola Tinubu’s strategic blueprint for universal health coverage.

“The blueprint focuses on saving lives, alleviating physical and financial pain, and enhancing population health outcomes across the country,” he said.

Daju Kachallom, permanent secretary of the ministry of health and social welfare, highlighted the study as a significant advancement in Nigeria’s fight against malaria.

Ms Kachallom expressed confidence that the data would lead to better health outcomes for school-aged children and the nation as a whole, reducing morbidity and mortality from malaria, especially among vulnerable populations.

Dr Shekarau Emmanuel, an epidemiologist and malaria case management specialist at the mational malaria elimination programme, said that there was a systematic selection of states, local government areas, and schools.

Mr Emmanuel said that the target was to reach 200 children per school, underscoring a targeted approach to malaria prevention and education.

He highlighted the absence of resistance to malaria treatments in Nigeria based on recent therapeutic efficacy studies, and commended the effectiveness of current treatments and proactive monitoring by the National Malaria Programme.

He also noted the strategic use of multiple artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) to avoid overburdening any single treatment method.

He said that the selection of Sokoto and Cross River was for their representation of Northern and Southern Nigeria.

“The consideration of resource constraints in the selection process highlights the practical challenges faced in implementing public health interventions,” he said.

(NAN)