7,618 personnel deployed for integrated malaria campaign in Kwara -

A total number of 7,618 trained personnel were deployed for the just concluded integrated mass campaign on Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) to eliminate Malaria in Kwara state.

Speaking during the debriefing programme on the Malaria campaign in Ilorin on Tuesday, the team lead and director of technical and programme of the Society for Family Health (SFH), Mr. John Ocholi, said that the personnel were trained across all cadres for effective SMC-ITN administration and distribution.

Some of the trained personnel included supervisors, technical assistants in state and local governments, warehouse managers, training technology administrators, town announcers, recorders, distributor and dispensers, lead mothers, campaign monitoring team, integrated campaign coordinating network (ICCN), media personnel and civil society organisations, among others.

The team lead also said that the personnel saw to effective monitoring and supervision of the integrated distribution and administration process, “using complements of national, state, local government area level personnel, including ICCN members.

In the report presented, based on the integrated campaign platform, it was gathered that a total number of 2,356,624 ITNs were distributed among a total number of 771,035 households that were reached and mobilised.

While he said that the distribution of the nets was ongoing, Ocholi added that the actual number of nets distributed was 2,376,257, representing 99 per cent distribution.

He also described the administration rate of SPAQ as 89.5 per cent, saying that a total number of SPAQ distributed was 573,841.

“Total number of children reached in cycle 4 is 504,106, and total number of SPAQ 1 administered in cycle 4 is 104,319, while total number of SPAQ 2 administered in cycle 4 is 469,522”, he said.

He said that some other activities of the campaign included advocacy to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, investiture of the Malaria Ambassador on the wife of the state governor, Ambassador Professor Olufolake AbdulRazaq, advocacies to relevant stakeholders at all levels (political, traditional, community and religious leaders), adding that the activities increased participation and ownership of the campaign process.

“We had a successful flag-off ceremony hosted by the state government, where the governor demonstrated sleeping inside the net and SPAQ administration signifying the safety of net/SPAQ and the successful LGA flag-off ceremonies across the 16 LGAs to increase awareness on ITN and SPAQ acceptance at the community level”.

It is recalled that a total number of 2,914,800 ITNs and 2,956,385 SPAQ were procured, while 2,912,809 ITNs and 2,956,385 SPAQ were received for the 2023 Kwara state ITNs/SMC mass campaign.

Operationally, ITNs were allocated to households at one net for every two persons with a maximum of four nets per household, while SPAQ targeted children aged three to 59 months.

SFH and the state ministry of Health were the Implementing Partners, with National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) being responsible for coordination and oversight, CRS providing the ICT4D support and Chemonics responsible for the transportation of nets at all levels.