Kogi State Administers Malaria Treatment to 1.2 Million Children
The Malaria Consortium, in collaboration with the Kogi State Ministry of Health, has administered Seasonal Malaria Chemotherapy to approximately 1.2 million children in Kogi State. This effort aims to prevent malaria during the rainy season among children aged three to 59 months.
Read Also:
Project Manager Kenneth Maduka revealed that over 6.3 million medicines were distributed under the Kogi SMC project in 2023. He also noted that Nigeria reached over 28 million children, representing 52% of the global coverage of 54 million children in 2023.
Maduka attributed the 16% drop in malaria prevalence in Kogi and 27% globally in 2023 to the successful administration of Seasonal Malaria Chemotherapy drugs. He explained that SMC combines two antimalarial drugs, Sulphadoxine Pyrimethamine and Amodiaquine, given to eligible children during the rainy season to prevent malaria.
The SMC project, which began in Kogi in 2021, is supported by the State Malaria Elimination Programme, Malaria Consortium, World Health Organization, and other partners.
