World Health Organization (WHO) said it’s partnering Yobe government
to implement Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) for children
between the ages of 3 to 59 months in the state to reduce malaria
morbidity and mortality.
WHO, Yobe State Coordinator, Dr. Adamu Baffale, made the disclosure
Tuesday while presenting assorted anti-malarial medicine and training
material in Damaturu.
He said: “This is one of the ways malaria is being prevented apart for
the treated mosquito net as recommended by the WHO and if properly
used it will reduce about 75 per cent of malaria disease.
Dr. Baffale further said, “the exercise will hold between July 24 and 28, 2019 in which Tarmuwa and Yusufari will be used as pilot local governments and the success of the project will determine our expansion. We want to achieve this by going round from house-to-house
to distribute the medicines”, he said.
Also giving more insights in a press statement, Dr. Collins Owili
said: “SMC is indicated for healthy children between the ages of 3 to
59 months who are the most vulnerable to malaria illness and likely to
die from severe infection”.
Owili further disclosed that the objective of giving SMC medicines was to maintain an adequate level of anti-malarial medicine concentrations in the blood, in order to kill the malaria parasite during the period of high malaria transmission.
“The intervention should be done in combination with other malaria
prevention methods, especially sleeping inside an Long Lasting
Insecticide Nets every night”.
“SMC would prevent approximately 75 percent of all malaria episodes,
decrease child mortality of around one in 1000, reduces the incidence
of severe anemia and hospital admissions associated with malaria
parasitaemia”, the statement said.
Blueprint also learnt It would also provide Personal protection against clinical malaria for a period approximately 35days following the administration of each dose.
Receiving the items on behalf of the Executive Secretary, Primary Health Care Management Board, Dr. Umar Chiroma, thanked WHO for the
gesture, adding that this was the first time Yobe state government is
receiving the such from WHO and assured that it would be used judiciously for the purpose it was meant for.
