Health
Plateau State Govt Moves to Sustain Malaria Control Gains with 2026 SMC Campaign
The Plateau State Government has officially flagged off the 2026 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign as part of efforts to protect children from malaria and further reduce the disease burden across the state.
The flag-off ceremony, held at the Crispan Event Center in Jos, brought together government officials, health practitioners, development partners, and other stakeholders committed to improving child health and malaria prevention.
The campaign is aimed at providing life-saving preventive malaria medication to eligible children during the peak malaria transmission season.
Speaking at the event, the Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Ba’amlong, commended the First Lady of Plateau State, Barr. Helen Mutfwang, for her commitment to the programme as the 2026 SMC Ambassador.
He noted that her support and advocacy had contributed significantly to efforts aimed at protecting children from malaria across the state.
Dr. Ba’amlong also praised the State Malaria Elimination Programme, Malaria Consortium, development partners, and frontline health workers for their roles in implementing seasonal malaria prevention initiatives that have helped reduce malaria cases in Plateau State.
The Commissioner further appreciated Governor Caleb Mutfwang for prioritizing the health sector and providing strong support for healthcare programmes in the state.
He called on all stakeholders, including community leaders and wives of local government chairmen, to support the campaign to ensure its success.
During the event, the First Lady of Plateau State, Barr. Helen Mutfwang, was officially crowned the 2026 Ambassador of the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention campaign in recognition of her advocacy and commitment to the health and well-being of women and children.
Addressing participants, Barr. Mutfwang described the flag-off of the SMC campaign as another major step towards protecting children from malaria and improving public health across Plateau State.
She expressed delight over the progress recorded in malaria control, revealing that malaria prevalence in the state had dropped from 18.8 percent in 2021 to 2.8 percent in 2025 through the combined efforts of government, healthcare workers, communities, and development partners.
“This achievement demonstrates that with strong leadership, effective partnerships, and community participation, malaria can be defeated,” she said.
The First Lady urged parents and caregivers to ensure that eligible children receive the free SMC medicines during every cycle of the campaign.
She also commended Governor Caleb Mutfwang, Malaria Consortium, healthcare workers, and community volunteers for their contributions to the fight against malaria before officially flagging off the campaign.
Speaking during the event, Nurse Ndak Kizito Zuhumnan, Program Manager of the Plateau State Malaria Elimination Program, explained that the exercise was designed to mobilize stakeholders and communities to protect children from malaria during the peak transmission season.
He disclosed that community drug distributors, health workers, and supervisors would commence house-to-house visits from June to October to administer preventive malaria medicines to children aged three to 59 months across the state.
“The aim of this medication is to prevent children from coming down with malaria. We want to reach over one million children, and we urge parents and guardians to make every eligible child available for this free and safe intervention,” he stated.
Zuhumnan noted that Plateau State had recorded remarkable success in malaria control, attributing the achievement largely to the SMC programme and sustained collaboration among government agencies, health workers, development partners, the media, and community leaders.
In a goodwill message delivered on behalf of the West and Central Africa Programme Director of Malaria Consortium, Dr. Maxwell Kolawole, Dr. Mbwas Mashor commended the Plateau State Government and its partners for their commitment to malaria control efforts.
He stated that despite Nigeria’s high malaria burden, Plateau State had achieved significant progress in reducing malaria prevalence through sustained interventions and effective partnerships.
Dr. Mashor disclosed that the 2026 SMC campaign would target over one million eligible children across the state.
He reaffirmed Malaria Consortium’s continued support for malaria elimination efforts and called for stronger government ownership, sustained funding, and continued collaboration to sustain the gains already achieved.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Association of Primary Healthcare, Chundung Maina, commended Plateau State for its commitment to strengthening the health system through data-driven planning and implementation.
She noted that the progress recorded in the state reflected stronger political will, improved investment, and effective use of evidence in public health decision-making.
According to her, Plateau State is increasingly gaining national recognition as a model for health sector improvement, adding that sustained commitment and adequate financing remain critical to consolidating and expanding the gains already achieved in the health sector.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has become the largest ever recorded, with more than 1,400 confirmed cases and over 400 deaths.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, disclosed this on Friday during an online media briefing on the Ebola situation in the DRC and Uganda.
Mr Janabi described the outbreak as one of Africa’s most serious public health emergencies this year and called for sustained international support to bring the virus under control.
Despite the rising number of infections, he said response efforts have recorded encouraging progress through stronger surveillance, improved contact tracing, earlier case detection and increasing patient recoveries.
According to him, transmission remains concentrated in a small number of hotspots, although weekly infections have reached their highest levels since the outbreak began, highlighting the need for intensified response measures.
Mr Janabi noted that the current outbreak has surpassed all previous Bundibugyo Ebola outbreaks combined, exceeding those recorded in Uganda in 2007 and the DRC in 2012.
“Contact tracing has improved significantly, rising from 25 to 83 per cent in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while Uganda has achieved 100 per cent follow-up of identified contacts,” he said.
“Better surveillance has increased case detection, explaining that higher reported infections partly reflect improved community trust and stronger health systems.
“Earlier detection enables patients to receive treatment sooner, improves monitoring of contacts, and helps health workers interrupt transmission before additional infections occur.”
Mr Janabi warned that a recent imported Ebola case in Uganda demonstrates the continued threat of cross-border transmission as long as infections persist in the eastern DRC.
He called for stronger collaboration between neighboring countries through timely information sharing, coordinated preparedness, and joint surveillance to prevent further international spread.
He also commended the governments of Uganda and DRC, frontline health workers, Africa CDC, and development partners for sustaining response efforts under difficult conditions.
Clinical trial
Mr Janabi announced the enrollment of the first patients into a WHO-supported clinical trial evaluating potential treatments specifically targeting the Bundibugyo Ebola virus.
He described the trial as a major scientific milestone that could improve patient care during the current outbreak while strengthening future Ebola responses.
He urged governments to expand treatment capacity, accelerate laboratory testing, rapidly investigate suspected cases, and ensure health workers receive adequate protection and support.
He also appealed for sustained financial support, noting that response efforts require resources, speed, and partnerships rather than commitment alone.
Also, the Director-General, Ministry of Health in Uganda, Charles Olaro, said that the country reported 20 confirmed Ebola cases as of 2 July, including 15 imported infections and five Ugandan nationals identified during institutional quarantine.
Mr Olaro said no community transmission has been recorded in Uganda, with surveillance systems remaining fully activated to detect and contain new infections.
“Uganda has monitored 836 identified contacts, while several have completed the mandatory 21-day follow-up period without developing Ebola symptoms,” he said.
READ ALSO: WHO launches clinical trial for new Ebola treatment in DR Congo
He said experience from previous outbreaks had enhanced Uganda’s preparedness by improving surveillance, community engagement, laboratory capacity and emergency response coordination.
“Uganda and the DRC continue sharing surveillance information through a formal cross-border response mechanism to strengthen regional outbreak containment.
“Laboratory testing capacity in DRC has expanded dramatically, increasing from fewer than 30 daily samples to more than 2,000.
“More than 200 patients have recovered and been discharged from treatment centres, reflecting improvements in clinical care and earlier diagnosis.”
He added that epidemiological trends remain concerning, projecting that confirmed cases could approach 1,500 if transmission continues in affected hotspots.
According to Mr Olaro, the outbreak can still be contained through sustained funding, regional solidarity, scientific innovation, and continued cooperation among governments, communities, and international partners.
(NAN)
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has recalled Ola-Ola Authentic Pounded Yam (Iyan) IYANINSTANT after finding that it contains undeclared milk, an allergen that can trigger serious reactions in sensitive consumers.
The recall, issued on 26 June, was classified as a food recall warning involving an undeclared allergen.
According to the CFIA, the product is being removed from the market because it contains milk but does not list it on the label.
“The affected product is being recalled from the marketplace because it contains milk, which is not declared on the label,” the CFIA said.
The recalled product is sold in a 1.815kg package with UPC 6 50655 49687 3. The recall applies to all product codes where milk is not declared as an ingredient.
The agency warned that consumers who are allergic to or sensitive to milk should not consume the product, as it could cause a serious or potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.
Consumers were advised not to use, sell, serve or distribute the recalled product and to either dispose of it safely or return it to the store where it was purchased.
The CFIA said the recall was initiated following a consumer complaint.
As of the recall notice, no allergic reactions linked to the product had been reported.
The agency added that it is carrying out a food safety investigation, which could result in additional products being recalled if necessary. It is also verifying that the affected product is being removed from retail shelves.
READ ALSO: NAFDAC warns Nigerians as US recalls children’s ibuprofen over contamination concerns
Background
Milk is one of Canada’s priority food allergens and must be clearly declared on food labels under the country’s food safety regulations. Undeclared allergens are among the leading reasons for food recalls in Canada because they pose significant health risks to individuals with food allergies.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency regularly issues recalls to protect consumers and monitors the effectiveness of product removals from the marketplace.
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