The Project Manager of the Plateau State Malaria Elimination Programme, Nurse Ndak Andarawus, has attributed the progress recorded in the fight against malaria in the state to sustained government support, strong partnerships and the commitment of health workers and community volunteers.
Andarawus spoke on Tuesday at the 2026 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) Media Parley held at Crispan Event Centre in Jos, where health professionals, development partners, journalists and other stakeholders gathered to strengthen public awareness ahead of the next SMC implementation cycle.
He said the 2026 SMC campaign is expected to reach 1,007,652 eligible children across Plateau State, with more than 11,500 health workers, supervisors, volunteer drug distributors and community leaders mobilised for the exercise.
According to him, trained community volunteers will administer preventive malaria medicines to children aged between three and 59 months through house-to-house visits, supported by digital monitoring systems to ensure that eligible children are reached.
Nurse Andarawus said the achievements recorded under the programme were made possible by the support of Governor Caleb Mutfwang, whom he said had provided an enabling environment and demonstrated strong commitment to healthcare delivery in the state.
He highlighted the support of the state government for the release of funds for the SMC programme, engagement of additional supervisors to strengthen quality assurance, procurement of additional chalk for house marking and support for the last-mile distribution of SMC medicines to the 17 local government areas.
The project manager also commended the state government for upgrading the Plateau State Drugs and Medical Supplies Management Agency to a pharma-grade warehouse, describing the facility as crucial to the storage and distribution of SPAQ medicines and other SMC commodities.
He added that the state had supported the airing of SMC radio jingles in different languages across local government areas during the first cycle of the 2026 campaign.
Andarawus noted that the state-level and local government flag-off activities for the campaign were expanded, with the wife of the governor named the 2026 SMC Ambassador, while wives of local government chairmen were appointed as SMC advocates.
He said the media parley was organised by the Plateau State Ministry of Health, the National Malaria Elimination Programme and Malaria Consortium to strengthen collaboration with journalists, improve public understanding of the intervention and mobilise community support.
The programme is designed to provide safe preventive malaria medicines to children during the peak malaria transmission season.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Nicholas Ba’amlong, described the media as a critical partner in malaria elimination, stressing that the gains recorded in the state must be communicated to the public through accurate and sustained reporting.
Ba’amlong said malaria prevalence in Plateau State had declined from 18.8 per cent in 2021 to 2.8 per cent in 2025, representing an estimated 87 per cent reduction.
He attributed the progress to increased political commitment, improved implementation of malaria interventions, government support and the contribution of Malaria Consortium and other partners.
“The prevalence rate has dropped from 18.8 per cent in 2021 to 2.8 per cent in 2025, representing about an 87 per cent reduction. It shows that malaria elimination is possible, and with sustained support for the SMC programme, we can achieve zero malaria,” the commissioner said.
Project Manager of Malaria Consortium, Dr Mbwas Mashor, said the media engagement was aimed at improving public awareness, promoting accurate information and encouraging caregivers to ensure that eligible children receive the preventive medicines.
He explained that Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention is a World Health Organisation-recommended intervention for children aged three to 59 months during periods of high malaria transmission.
Other speakers at the event, including representatives of the Ministry of Health, Plateau State Primary Health Care Board, Nigerian Medical Association and Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, commended the progress made in malaria control and pledged continued support for the 2026 SMC campaign.
The stakeholders also called on journalists to help counter misinformation, promote community acceptance and ensure that caregivers across Plateau State are adequately informed about the dates and importance of the SMC exercise.