The Plateau State Ministry of Health, through the State Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP), on Monday held the 2025 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) End-of-Round Review Meeting at Crispan Hotels and Apartments, Jos. The session assessed SMC implementation across all 17 local government areas, reviewing data, achievements, and challenges recorded between June and October 2025.
The meeting featured presentations on the state’s 2025 performance, including HMIS malaria data, supply chain updates, administrative coverage from the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) and DIGIT, as well as discussions on successes, operational gaps, and recommendations for the upcoming cycle.
SMEP Programme Manager, NDAK Kizito, explained that the SMC campaign—targeted at children under five—aims to significantly reduce malaria cases during the rainy season, when transmission peaks.
“This medication is given during the peak of the rainy season because that is when malaria transmission is at its highest,” he said. “No child under five should die of malaria. With prevention as our priority, we deployed about 7,878 community drug distributors across the 325 wards in the state to administer the medication house-to-house.”
Kizito announced that Plateau State ranked first among all SMC-implementing states nationwide, attributing the feat to strong political will, community participation, and timely government counterpart funding. He also highlighted the exceptional involvement of the First Lady, Barr. Helen Manasseh Mutfwang, who served as the SMC Ambassador, alongside the wives of all 17 LGA chairmen who acted as SMC advocates—an effort he said amplified awareness and encouraged parents to present their children for treatment.
Looking toward 2026, he emphasized sustainability. “We must prepare for a future where Malaria Consortium may no longer be on ground. Sustainability plans are key,” he added.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Bitrus Hosea, commended the state’s outstanding performance, noting that Plateau has maintained the top position for two consecutive years.
“From the statistics presented, Plateau is doing exceptionally well. The strategies we adopted, including learning from best practices and improving implementation patterns, have clearly yielded results,” he said, urging participants to continue supporting efforts to retain the state’s leading status.
Also speaking, Rakiya Hassan Kadel, Malaria Focal Person for Wase LGA, expressed appreciation to Malaria Consortium, stating that the intervention has drastically reduced cases of anemia, convulsions, and severe malaria among children under five. She noted that the digital payment and reporting systems introduced in the last two years have improved accuracy and efficiency. “We expect continued digital implementation and more SP+AQ drugs next year due to rising child population,” she added.
The Malaria Focal Person for Jos North LGA, Rayi Lawrence Bitrus, reported improved malaria data quality and reduced disease burden, despite earlier challenges with PMI support. He called for government provision of digital tools, including laptops, as well as additional staff to strengthen data management.
This year’s review brought together key stakeholders, including senior officials from the Ministry of Health, SMEP staff, the Director of Public Health, heads of PLASCHEMA and DMA, the Executive Secretary of the Primary Healthcare Board, Directors of Primary Healthcare from all 17 LGAs, Roll Back Malaria Managers, Malaria Consortium field officers, and other SMC programme personnel.
The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment to strengthen supervision, enhance digital reporting systems, improve logistics, and sustain the progress made as the state prepares for the 2026 SMC cycle.
