By Sanusi Muhammad, Gusau
The Zamfara State Government has commenced the the distribution of the 2025 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) doses to children under three years and pregnant women across 14 local government areas of the state.
The distribution of the SMC doses started in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), and Global Health Supply Chain Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) with funding support from the United States President’s Malaria Initiative.
The state commissioner of Health Dr. Nafisa Muhammad Maradun stated this at a seasonal Malaria Chemo prevention (SMC) campaign media parley 2025, held at the ministry in Gusau.
“Over 1 million doses of SMC medicines will be distributed to children ages 3 months to 59 months in Zamfara through a door-to-door approach”. Dr. Nafisa said
The commissioner who was represented by the Director Public Health Dr. Yusuf Abubakar Haske said the main objective of the SMC campaign is to ensure that all eligible children within the ages of 3 month to 59 months as well as pregnant women have receive malaria prevention medicines in peak malaria season to protect them from malaria pandemic.
She stated that the first cycle of the campaign will commence from 3rd to 7 July 2025. Noting that Community Drug Distributors will visit every households to issue the SMC medicines to eligible children.
She urged Households to ensure that they leave somebody at home within this period to enable their children receive the doses during the campaign exercise.
She explained that the ministry in partnership with the state Primary Healthcare Board will engage every stakeholders for the development of work plan, selection and recruitment of SMC personnel to ensure successful immunization of the exercise in the state.
She further hinted that the lesson learned by the state government on SMC campaign drive was inadequate engaging the security agencies, traditional leaders and religious leaders.
