The Federal Government has concluded arrangements to implement Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention across the 21 eligible states, comprising all 19 Northern states, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Oyo State.

Under the initiative, the government provided malaria preventive medicines to approximately 29 million children under the age of five, thus delivering one of the largest child-focused malaria prevention efforts on the continent, and reflecting our resolve to protect those at greatest risk.

In addition, the government, with the support of partners, will this year expand access to Insecticide-Treated Mosquito Nets (ITNs) in 11 states that haven’t had a net distribution campaign for over seven years.

The states include Akwa Ibom, Kebbi, Borno, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Abia, Kogi, Osun, Kwara, Adamawa and the FCT.

Minister of State for Health, Dr Adekunle Salako, who disclosed this yesterday at the event to commemorate the 2026 World Malaria Day in Abuja, observed that over 500 million ITNs have been distributed across the country from 2015 to date, adding that this intervention remains one of the most effective ways to protect families, especially children and pregnant women, from malaria infection.

He noted that the continuous distribution of ITNs has increased household access to use of the nets while routine ITN distributions through ANC clinics and immunisation programmes have improved population coverage, contributing to reduced transmission in high-burden areas.

The minister, who stated that the government is pioneering new frontiers, observed that the process to pilot Larval Source Management (LSM) for the first time in six states, Abia, Borno, Ekiti, Lagos, Ondo, and Rivers, has advanced significantly. (Guardian)

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