The Nasarawa State government has announced plans to administer malaria prevention drugs to more than one million children under the age of five in 2025 as part of its efforts to eliminate the disease.

Gaza Gwamna, Commissioner for Health, said this during a press conference on Thursday in Lafia, ahead of the fifth round of the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign.

He said the state aimed to reach 1,037,785 eligible children aged three to 59 months across all 13 local government areas with free malaria prevention drugs.

“With the support of Malaria Consortium and the World Health Organisation, we have reduced the malaria burden from 60 per cent at the state’s creation in 1996 to 15 per cent today.

“To ensure smooth implementation, 11,247 ad hoc staff, including community drug distributors, town announcers, supervisors, and health workers, have been trained and mobilised,” Mr Gwamna said.

Mr Gwamna urged residents to get tested before treatment, warning that not all fevers were caused by malaria and cautioning against self-medication.

He also encouraged the consistent use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, calling it the most effective prevention method.

“The state government is committed to eradicating malaria and will continue to invest in preventive and curative efforts,” he added.

Also speaking, Kassim Musa-Khalid, state programme manager for Malaria Consortium, thanked the state government for its continuous partnership over the past four years.

He noted that implementation of the 2025 campaign began in June and expressed optimism about achieving the state’s malaria elimination goals with sustained stakeholder support.

(NAN)