Mr. Kenneth Maduka, Kogi Project Manager at Malaria Consortium, announced that malaria prevalence in Nigeria has decreased from 23% in 2018 to 22% in 2021.
Reports from the News Agency of Nigeria disclosed that Maduka stated this during the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) briefing organized by the Malaria Consortium in collaboration with the Kogi Ministry of Health in Lokoja.
“Malaria prevalence in Kogi dropped by 16% in 2023 compared to 2021, and globally, the reduction was 27%
“In Kogi alone, 1.2 million children were administered more than 6.3 million doses of medicines under the Kogi SMC project in 2023,” he said.
Malaria rate in Nigeria
The malaria rate is the number of people in Nigeria who have malaria. In Nigeria, malaria poses a serious threat to public health, with an estimated 68 million illnesses and 194,000 deaths by the disease by 2021.
Nigeria has the largest malaria burden worldwide, with about 27% of the world’s cases of malaria.
Malaria prevention efforts
Maduka noted that the target for SMC implementation in 2024 was 1,184,652 children, a figure already exceeded in the June and July cycles.
“Our goal is to further increase these numbers during the August and September cycles,” he said, emphasizing the high mortality rates from malaria among children aged three to 59 months during the rainy season.
Dr. Stephen Ake, State Programme Manager of SMEP, revealed that 14,255 personnel were engaged under the SMC project across 747 health facilities in 239 wards in the state.
Ake also mentioned that the state is extending its malaria prevention efforts to adults through the IMPACT Project.
The IMPACT Project (Immunization Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Promoting Services) is a major health initiative by the Nigerian government, funded by the World Bank. It aims to strengthen primary healthcare and reduce under-5 mortality rates across Nigeria.
About SMC
Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) is a combination of two antimalarial drugs, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and amodiaquine (SPAQ), given to children at risk of severe malaria during the rainy season to prevent malaria. Launched and recommended by WHO in 2012, SMC primarily targets children aged 3-59 months, as they are the most vulnerable to severe malaria.
The method involves administering a full course of antimalarial treatment at monthly intervals during the peak malaria season. This treatment is typically given once a month for 3-4 months during the high-risk season. Studies have shown that SMC can be highly effective, reducing the incidence of malaria by up to 75% in children who receive it. Implementation usually involves door-to-door delivery by community health workers.
In 2024, the Malaria Consortium is targeting 25 million children to be administered SMC across seven countries: Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mozambique, South Sudan, Togo, and Uganda.
The SMC project began in Kogi in 2021, supported by the State Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP), Malaria Consortium, World Health Organisation (WHO), and other partners.