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Source: Agency Report
In a bold effort to combat malaria among its most vulnerable population, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has set an ambitious target to reach 983,497 children with Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) in 2025.
The announcement was made by Olutomi Sodipo, the State Project Manager for the Philanthropic Funding SMC programme in the FCT, during a press briefing held in Abuja on Thursday. The intervention, which focuses on children aged three to 59 months, aims to protect those with weaker immune systems from malaria during the peak transmission season.
SMC was first introduced in the FCT in 2022 under the coordination of the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) and the FCT Malaria Elimination Programme (FCT MEP). With financial and technical support from Malaria Consortium, the initiative has steadily expanded across the territory.
Ms. Sodipo credited the increasing success of the programme to over 10,000 trained personnel working across communities. The campaign uses a door-to-door delivery model, where Community Drug Distributors administer a three-day course of Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine and Amodiaquine (SPAQ) monthly from June to October.
According to Sodipo, the first two SMC cycles for 2025 have already been implemented, achieving impressive administrative coverage rates of 98.4% and 99.6%, respectively. The third cycle is scheduled for August 8–11.
Efforts are also being made to expand access by engaging faith-based organisations as distribution hubs, complementing the door-to-door strategy.
Despite strong progress, several obstacles remain. Ms. Sodipo highlighted:
She called for continued government support and urged caregivers to cooperate fully with trained personnel and ensure children complete their full SPAQ regimen.
Iheoma Nzekwe, SMC Programme Officer for the FCT, reinforced the importance of integrating SMC with other malaria control methods like insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) to ensure maximum protection.
Hajiya Zainab Ibrahim, Programme Manager of the State Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP), also noted significant improvements, particularly in reaching children in gated communities, a population previously difficult to access.
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