Bauchi Begins Malaria Prevention Campaign 

The 2022 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign commenced in Bauchi State on Monday across all the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) for children from 3-59 months old.

Speaking, Dr Mohammed Sani, Executive Chairman of Bauchi State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Malaria(BACATMA), said the exercise would be a house-to-house exercise.

“The team administered the first dose of Sulfadoxine Pyrimethamine (SP) and Amodiaquine (AQ) to the child.

“Local government areas in Bauchi south are to conduct five circles, while those in the north will have four circles due to differences in their environments,” he said.

Sani said the state started implementing SMC in 10 selected LGAs in 2020, however, the exercise had been scaled to all the 20 LGA  based on successes recorded.

” I can tell you that the incidence of malaria has reduced with SMC, we have less hospital attendance as a result of the disease.

“The narrative reported cases of Malaria has changed with SMC,” he said.

The chairman added that SMC is given during the months of July to October as it is the period that malaria cases are mostly reported.

He said that the state had other interventions against malaria including the distribution of Intermittent Preventive Therapy (IPT)for pregnant women and Long lasting insecticidal nets.

The Emir of Dass, Alhaji Usman Bilyaminu, also called on households to support the exercise by availing their children access to the teams.