By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

No fewer than 2.6 million Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) would be distributed free to various households across the three senatorial districts of Kwara state by the state government in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), with funding support from the Global Fund Malaria Project.

This would be done through a door-to-door approach during the 2023 Integrated Insecticide Treated Nets and Seasonal Malaria Chemotherapy (SMC) mass campaign to eliminate malaria in the state.

Speaking at the media orientation for journalists in Ilorin, the state capital, on Tuesday, Media and Communication Manager, Society for Family Health Nigeria, Gbue Daniel, added that a total of 2,283,800 sulfadoxin-pyrimethamine with amodiaquine (SPAQ) would be administered to eligible children aged three to 59 months as malaria prevention drugs.

He said: “The objective of the integrated SMC/ITN mass campaign is to ensure that for every person in Kwara state, there is one bed net to sleep inside, and every eligible child will
receive a full course of SPAQ.

“The distribution of ITN and SPAQ will also be done on a door-to-door basis across all the 16 local government areas of the state.

“Simultaneously, household registration and distribution of ITNs and SPAQ will commence
from October 19 to November 1, 2023. Households must ensure that they leave somebody at home within this period to collect nets.

“Households who have eligible children between three months and 59 months old must ensure they receive SPAQ. SPAQ is given only to children who are not sick and are between three and 59 months of
age. Care givers must ensure their children complete the SPAQ dosage for Day 2 and 3

“The newly collected ITNs must be aired under a shade for 24 hours before hanging and sleeping inside. Bring down the old nets and hang the new ones.”

The mass campaign, he added, would be led by the Kwara State Ministry of Health and the Kwara state Primary Health Care Development Agency (KSPHCDA) with the technical support of Society for Family Health, other partners and the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) providing coordination and oversight.

Also speaking, the Director of Public Health, state Ministry of Health, Dr. Oluwatosin Fakayode, disclosed that about 6,000 personnel would be deployed for the exercise, including ITN distributors, SPAQ dispensers and recorders.

The medical expert, who lamented that malaria has significant consequences, particularly for vulnerable populations like children
under five years old and pregnant women, said it is also a leading cause of illness and death in Nigeria.

“Malaria is a leading cause of illness and death in Nigeria, contributing to high child mortality rates and reduced productivity. Untreated malaria can result in complications such as anaemia, organ failure, and even death.

“It is the commonest cause of absenteeism from schools,
offices, farms, markets, etc resulting in lower productivity.
In addition to the overburden on health system, it also exerts a
huge social and economic burden on our communities and
country, retarding the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 40%
annually and billions of Naira is lost to malaria annually in form
of treatment cost, prevention and loss of man hours.

“Mobilization and Distribution team (MDT) would visit households, register the household, give
them health talks, issue them nets and administer SPAQ. Households must ensure that someone is
available at home within this period to provide information to the CMDs and collect the net. The Nets are Free as well as the SPAQ”, he said.

In his presentation, a member of staff of the Federal Ministry of Health, National Malaria Elimination Programme, Abuja, Bala Mohammed Masu, noted that a significant method to prevent malaria is not to allow the bite of mosquito by sleeping inside a
properly hung ITN every night, describing this as one sure way to prevent malaria and most cost effective.