BY DAVID ADUGE-ANI, ABUJA
The Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) said it is targeting no fewer than 480,770 children to benefit from the free malaria drugs to be provided to residents in the 12 political wards of the council, under it’s ‘Malaria Prevention Programme’.
Flagging off the programme, tagged: ‘2024 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) Cycle 4’, at the Chief Palace in Karu community at the weekend, AMAC chairman Hon Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, called on parents to bring their children, between 0 to 5 years, for the fourth cycle of the programme.
Maikalangu explained that the initiative is aimed at preventing children, between 0 to 5 years, that are more vulnerable to malaria attack, from having the disease, especially in this rainy season.
The AMAC chairman lamented at the high number of children and pregnant women that have died due to malaria attack, adding that the area council needs to prevent it before it is too late.
He encouraged mothers in AMAC to take advantage of these free malaria drugs and ensure that their children, below 5 years, get them to be free from malaria.
Represented by the Council Secretary, Hon Ja’afaru Gwagwa, the AMAC chairman warned residents against selling the drugs, adding that mothers should insist on giving their children the full dose of the drugs to ensure its effectiveness.
In a statement by his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Kingsley Madaki, Maikalangu called on the traditional, religious, women, and youth leaders, among other community stakeholders, to join hands in maintaining healthy environments by keeping their surroundings clean, and avoiding blockage of drainages.
While urging residents to sleep under treated mosquito nets to avoid malaria, he also pledged that AMAC would continue to provide necessary supports and engage partners to protect the lives of residents.
Also speaking, the acting Executive Secretary, FCT Primary Healthcare Board, Dr. Ruqayya Wamakko, said that a lot still needs to be done to prevent the disease, noting that malaria still kills women and children.
In a speech, the head of Local Emergency Management Agency (LEMA) in AMAC, Abumere Boseh, blamed prevalence of malaria on dirty environments and blocked drainages that retain stagnant waters.
Abumere, therefore, tasked residents to regularly clean their environment and to ensure that gutters are not clogged, but are free from stagnant waters, even as she called on residents to generally live hygienic lives to stay away from malaria and other diseases.
Highlights of the event was the distribution of malaria prevention drugs and treated mosquito nets to those in attendance.