In a bid to eradicate malaria in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has launched the 2023 distribution of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) drugs.
At FCT Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention 2023 campaign media parley and flag-off in Abuja yesterday, officials of the FCTA Public Health Department, a representative of the malaria consortium, and other stakeholders, stressed that the malaria parasite has remained endemic in many rural areas of FCT.
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The FCT director of Public Health, Dr Saddiq Abdulrahman, explained that the 2023 SMC drug distribution was designed to ensure comprehensive coverage of all eligible children, especially in the rural communities.
Abdulrahman who was represented by the head of Health Promotion, Hajia Hauwa Ibrahim noted that the 2023 Malaria campaign has been well thought out to tackle all the identified shortcomings of the last years.
“SMC commenced in the FCT in 2022, and a low coverage of 66 percent of eligible children was recorded, against the WHO recommendation of at least 80 percent.
“This was largely due to the limited reach (denial of access of the SMC team to some quarters and places; like barracks, gated estates, markets, etc) and non-compliance of some parents,” he said.
Also, the director of Primary Healthcare in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Dr Modupe Adeyinka, who officially flagged off the campaign, said the team has been well-trained to reach even the hard-to-reach areas.
Adeyinka also urged all stakeholders to help mobilise support for the acceptance of anti-malaria drugs in rural communities.
“We solicit the support of the media, community, religious leaders, and other stakeholders to support awareness creation about SMC in communities, churches, and mosques. We also call for social mobilisation to increase acceptance of the anti-malaria drugs,” she said.