Adamawa State has commenced its 2025 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign, a large-scale public health initiative targeting the protection of more than 1.2 million children under the age of five from malaria-related deaths.
The campaign officially rolled out on Saturday, with trained health personnel and community volunteers deployed across all local government areas to administer preventive anti-malarial drugs through door-to-door outreach. The effort aims to curb child mortality during the peak malaria transmission season.
At the official flag-off ceremony held Friday in Luggere Ward, Jimeta, within Yola North Local Government Area, state officials underscored the urgency and importance of the campaign. Dr. Bashir Usman Malaria, Executive Secretary of the Adamawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency, emphasized that the administration of Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine and Amodiaquine is a proven and essential intervention to safeguard young children during periods of heightened transmission.
Representing Governor Ahmadu Fintiri at the launch event, Chief of Staff Dr. Edgar Sunday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to reducing preventable childhood deaths and ensuring no child succumbs to a disease as treatable as malaria.
During the event, health officials carried out symbolic administration of the medication on eligible children, signaling the beginning of widespread distribution.
The state government is encouraging parents and guardians to cooperate with healthcare workers throughout the campaign and ensure all eligible children are reached. With malaria remaining a leading cause of death among children in Nigeria, this campaign represents a critical step in reducing the burden of the disease.