First Lady Helen Mutfwang Named SMC Ambassador

The Plateau State Ministry of Health, through its State Malaria Elimination Programme (SME-P) in collaboration with the Malaria Consortium, has officially launched the 2025 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign, targeting children under five years old across all 17 local government areas. The campaign will run from June to October 2025.

At the flag-off ceremony, Deputy Governor Hon. Ngo Josephine Chundung Piyo officially launched the programme and led the investiture of the First Lady, Barr. Helen Manasseh Mutfwang, as the SMC Ambassador for Plateau State.

In her keynote address, Hon. Piyo praised the First Lady’s commitment to child health and presented her with a special recognition award. She also commended the wives of the 17 LGA chairmen for their support as local champions of the SMC initiative.

“The remarkable progress we have made since inception of the SMC initiative in 2021 and the evidence of the reduction in malaria cases among our young ones is a testament to the dedication of this government in prioritizing health services for the people,” said Hon. Piyo.

She urged health workers, community leaders, and caregivers to collaborate towards achieving 100% coverage during the 2025 campaign, stressing the importance of public awareness and collective effort for a malaria-free Plateau State.

The First Lady, Barr. Helen Manasseh Mutfwang, highlighted the grave threat malaria poses to children, stating it is the third leading cause of death after pneumonia and diarrhoeal diseases.

She reminded participants that Nigeria accounts for 3 out of every 10 global malaria deaths and emphasized the need for intensified intervention during the rainy season.

“As the 2025 SMC Ambassador, I call on all the good people of Plateau State to take advantage of the SMC initiative to protect our children from malaria by ensuring all under-5 children have access to the SPAQ medications that will be distributed from house to house, for four days every month for the next five months from this month, June, to October 2025,” she declared.

To support this goal, over 11,000 ad-hoc personnel have been deployed in partnership with Malaria Consortium, and 800 health facilities have been activated across Plateau State.

She praised the 2024 SMC achievement of 97.7% coverage and called on mothers, caregivers, religious and traditional leaders to work together to reach every eligible child in 2025.

Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Ba’amlong, stressed that the SMC campaign is critical during the rainy season, when malaria infections spike due to increased mosquito breeding.

He explained that children aged 3 to 59 months are most vulnerable and that untreated malaria in this age group can result in death. The house-to-house drug distribution aims to reduce severe cases and save lives.

Program Manager of the State Malaria Elimination Programme, Nrs. Ndak Zuhumnan Kizito, outlined the impact of the SMC initiative, noting the drop in malaria prevalence from 35.8% in 2015 to 18.8% in 2021.

Kizito said the programme aims to reach over 963,000 children in nearly 11,000 communities using 11,903 trained personnel. He emphasized the importance of combining SMC with other strategies like insecticide-treated nets and sanitation.

Representing Dr. Maxwell Kolawole, the West and Central Africa Programme Director of Malaria Consortium, Dr. Mashor Mbwas acknowledged that Nigeria bears about 30% of the global malaria burden. However, he expressed optimism, citing progress made through collaboration.

Dr. Mbwas praised the use of digital tools like ICD-14-legit-XMR to enhance accuracy, supervision, and accountability. He urged parents to ensure children complete the full three-day course and called on stakeholders to remain united, stating: “Let malaria end with us.”