Health
Malaria Consortium Targets 1.43m Children In Adamawa Azithromycin Exercise
The Malaria Consortium says it is targeting no fewer than 1.43 million children aged one to 59 months in Adamawa for the third round of mass Azithromycin distribution.
The State Project Manager of the consortium, Dr Serah Simon, disclosed this on Wednesday in Yola at a media parley organised in collaboration with the Adamawa Government and other partners.
Simon said the exercise would be carried out under the Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance of Azithromycin in Children (SARMAAN2) project.
According to her, it is scheduled for Oct. 15 to Oct. 18, and would be conducted across the 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
She explained that SARMAAN2 was a child-survival intervention designed to reduce childhood illnesses and deaths associated with malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea.
The project manager said the media engagement was aimed at improving public understanding of the intervention, addressing misconceptions and strengthening community mobilisation ahead of the exercise.
According to her, effective dissemination of information remains critical to ensuring that eligible children are reached during the exercise.
Simon commended the media for its support during previous rounds of the intervention, saying its efforts had helped to create awareness and take vital information to communities.
She also appreciated the Adamawa Government and partner organisations, including the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Ministry of Health and Adamawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ADSPHCDA) for their support.
She urged parents and caregivers to cooperate with health workers and ensure that eligible children were available for the intervention.
Also speaking, the State Coordinator, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Dr Lucky Daniel, said trained Community Distributors would administer the drug through a door-to-door strategy.
Daniel said the exercise would cover 768 health facilities and communities across the 21 LGAs, with more than 9,000 ad-hoc personnel expected to participate.
In his remarks, a representative of ADSPHCDA, Mr Sunday Naina, said the programme which was targeting 1.43 million children was aimed at achieving more than 90 per cent coverage.
Naina said community structures across the state’s 226 wards had been strengthened to address possible challenges, including refusals and other issues that could affect the exercise.
He said community leaders, local government authorities and state-level teams would be available to intervene where necessary and support the implementation.(NAN)
Edited by Folasade Akpan