Nasarawa Targets 1 Million Children in 2025 Malaria Fight

The Nasarawa State Government has unveiled plans to administer preventive malaria drugs to over one million children under the age of five in 2025.

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Gaza Gwamna, disclosed this during a press conference held in Lafia on Thursday, ahead of the fifth round of the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign.

According to Dr. Gwamna, the intervention aims to reach at least 1,037,785 children aged between three to 59 months across all 13 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state with free antimalarial drugs.

“With the continued support of the Malaria Consortium and the World Health Organisation (WHO), we’ve significantly reduced the malaria burden in Nasarawa from 60% at the time of the state’s creation in 1996 to just 15% today,” he said.

He noted that the state government remains committed to achieving zero malaria-related deaths among children, adding that the upcoming intervention is part of a broader strategy to completely eliminate malaria as a public health threat.

The SMC campaign, which has been rolled out annually during the peak malaria transmission season, involves door-to-door distribution of antimalarial drugs by trained health workers.

Health authorities in the state are also urging parents and caregivers to fully cooperate with campaign teams and ensure eligible children take the medication as directed.

The Commissioner also highlighted the importance of sustained community engagement and continuous support from international partners to consolidate the progress made in the fight against malaria.

“This is about saving lives and securing the future of our children,” Gwamna emphasized.