The Jigawa state government, in its efforts to combat malaria, successfully treated 1.5 million children during the recently concluded Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) initiative.
Bilya Haruna, the Coordinator of the Malaria Control Programme, confirmed the milestone in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.
Haruna explained that the exercise was conducted with the support of the Malaria Consortium between July and Oct. 2021, across the 27 local government areas of the state.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malaria is a major public health concern in Nigeria, with an estimated 68 million cases and 194,000 deaths due to the disease in 2021.
Also, Nigeria has the highest burden of malaria globally, accounting for nearly 27 per cent of the global malaria burden. “The risk of transmission exists throughout the country, all year round,” it said.
Souce: New Agencies