The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) says its ongoing Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance Mass Administration of Azithromycin (SARMAAN) project is targeted at reducing infant mortality in the country.

Babatunde Salako, NIMR director-general, disclosed this at the SARMAAN engagement meeting with the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa.

Mr Salako said the project was in partnership with Sight Saver, Malaria Consortium, eHealth Africa, Federal Ministry of Health, African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), and Institute for Disease Modelling (IDM).

He explained that the first phase of SARMAAN was initiated two years ago following a recommendation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on mass administration of Azithromycin in countries with high infant mortality rates.

He noted that the project’s first phase, SARMAAN 1, had been completed in six pilot states – Kebbi, Kano, Sokoto, Abia, Jigawa, Akwa Ibom and Sokoto.

“The SARMAAN project is directed at reducing under-5 mortality, and this came up from a study supported by some funders and monitored by WHO in countries where infant mortality was high. Mass Administration of Azithromycin was used in the countries, and it brought about a 13.8 per cent reduction, which was significant in those countries,” said Mr Salako.

The NIMR boss added that SARMAAN 1 was concluded in six pilot states that benefited from the mass Administration, where infants between one month and eleven months were given Azithromycin at six-month intervals.

SARMAAN’s principal investigating officer, Oliver Ezechi, said phase two of the project would commence in Kano in July.

Mr Ezechi, a research director at NIMR, said the project, which captured no fewer than 1.3 million children from one month to 11 months of age, used 3.6 million quantities of Azithromycin over six-month intervals.

He added that SARMAAN 2 would focus on reducing infant mortality and evaluating the safety of the mass administration of the drugs among children aged one to 59 months in the next four years.

Mr Ezechi explained that SARMAAN 1 was limited research that involved six states. The project showed that Azithromycin was safe for children and less than two per cent reported common side effects.

(NAN)