The Oyo State government has initiated the second phase of the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention Campaign (SMC) in partnership with the Malaria Consortium. The effort seeks to eliminate malaria in the state’s children under the age of five.
This was said by the coordinating director, Gideon Alade, on Saturday in Ibadan.
He stated that they had launched the scheme in the state’s Saki West Local Government Area to prevent malaria in children aged three to 59 months during the peak of the malaria season.
Olusoji Adeyanju, the permanent secretary of the Oyo State Ministry of Health, reaffirmed the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde’s resolve to dramatically reduce the illness incidence among children under five and pregnant women.
Mr Adeyanju stressed the need for parents and guardians to present their children to health staff for medicine administration.
He stated they would require youngsters in the age range to take chemoprevention medications every month for five months.
“The second round of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention distribution commenced on June 16, 2023, and will last till Monday, June 19, 2023.
“Distribution will be carried out monthly for four days each month. The drugs will be repeated every 28 days from June to October 2023.
“The present drugs SPAQ that will be distributed are free, and they do not cure malaria, but they prevent Malaria. It doesn’t work alone; we have to ensure that our children also sleep inside the net. Our environment should be clean without mosquito breeding sites.
