Mirian Gom 
ADAMAWA, Nigeria – The Malaria Consortium says it will distribute mass doses of azithromycin to 1.43 million children aged one to 59 months across Adamawa State in the third round of a child-survival intervention.
The State Project Manager of the consortium, Dr Serah Simon, announced this on Wednesday in Yola during a media parley organised with the Adamawa Government and other partners.
Simon said the exercise under the Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance of Azithromycin in Children (SARMAAN2) project would run from October 15 to 18 across the state’s 21 Local Government Areas.
She said the intervention aims to reduce childhood illnesses and deaths associated with malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea. Simon said the media engagement was intended to improve public understanding of the exercise, address misconceptions and strengthen community mobilisation ahead of the distribution.
She stressed that accurate information would be critical to ensuring eligible children are reached during the campaign.
The project manager commended the media for supporting previous rounds and helping to take information about the intervention to communities.
She also acknowledged the support of the Adamawa Government and partners, including the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Ministry of Health and Adamawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ADSPHCDA).
Simon urged parents and caregivers to cooperate with health workers and ensure eligible children are available during the exercise.
State Coordinator for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Dr Lucky Daniel, said trained Community Distributors would administer the drug through a door-to-door strategy.
He said the exercise would cover 768 health facilities and communities across the 21 LGAs, with more than 9,000 ad-hoc personnel expected to participate.
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Korede Abdullah 
Hope Ajayi 
Oluwatobi Adu 