FG Ramps Up Malaria Prevention For Children As Prevalence Falls To 15%

The Federal Government has announced plans to begin the policy process for the nationwide introduction of Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention (PMC), following a decline in malaria prevalence from 42 per cent in 2010 to 15 per cent in 2025.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, made the announcement on Wednesday at the Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention Dissemination Meeting in Abuja.

He said the intervention, which targets children under two years in areas with year-round malaria transmission, would complement existing malaria control measures.

“The implementation research provides critical evidence to guide national policy on the adoption of Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention,” Salako said.

He directed the Department of Public Health and the National Malaria Elimination Programme to begin the policy process for the wider introduction of the intervention while conducting further assessments of its cost-effectiveness.

Highlighting progress in malaria control, the minister said: “Findings from the 2025 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey showed malaria prevalence had declined significantly from 42 per cent in 2010 to 15 per cent in 2025.”

Despite the improvement, he noted that Nigeria still accounts for 24.3 per cent of global malaria cases and 30.3 per cent of malaria-related deaths.

“Today’s deliberations provide an opportunity to advance equity in malaria prevention by extending effective chemoprevention to children in regions that do not benefit from Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention,” he added.

Salako urged stakeholders to turn the research findings into concrete action, saying the evidence would help shape the next phase of Nigeria’s malaria elimination strategy.