Kaduna Gov’s wife named malaria ambassador
The wife of the Kaduna State Governor, Hafsat Sani, has been decorated as the Malaria Ambassador to lead the state’s campaign against malaria and oversee the distribution of treated mosquito nets.
The decoration ceremony was conducted by the Society for Family Health (SFH), the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), and other partners involved in the fight to eradicate malaria in Nigeria, on Tuesday in Kaduna.
Speaking at the event, Mr John Ocholi, Campaign Director of the programme from SFH, described malaria as a persistent threat that continued to claim lives, particularly among children and pregnant women.
He noted that the investiture of the governor’s wife marked a significant milestone in the collective effort to eliminate malaria, which remained one of Nigeria’s most pressing health challenges.
Ocholi highlighted progress made in reducing malaria prevalence, noting that support from partners helped decrease the rate from 42 per cent in 2010 to 27 per cent in 2015.
He added that the rate further declined to 22 per cent in 2021, according to the National Malaria Indicator Survey.
“We must keep building on this achievement and continue working towards the goal of malaria elimination in the country,” he said.
He further announced that SFH and other partners, in collaboration with the Kaduna State Ministry of Health and with funding from the Global Fund, were set to distribute more than 4.5 million insecticide-treated nets.
“In addition, more than 8 million doses of antimalarial drugs will be distributed to vulnerable children aged between three and 59 months.”
In her response, the governor’s wife pledged to use her office to ensure that no child in the state died from malaria.
She committed to leveraging various communication channels to promote the use of malaria preventive medicines for children, as well as the consistent use of insecticide-treated nets by families across the state.(NAN)
