Mirian Gom 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The federal government will roll out Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention (PMC) for children under five in southern Nigeria following promising field results.
National Coordinator of the National Malaria Elimination Programme, Dr Nnena Ogbluafor, said PMC suits regions with year-round transmission. “Evidence shows children who take it as recommended are significantly protected,” she noted at a policy meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.
The approach complements insecticide-treated nets, the malaria vaccine, and drug treatments. “Nigeria now has a wide basket of tools,” Ogbluafor added.
Strategic Adviser Prof Olugbenga Mokuolu explained that PMC adapts methods used in northern Nigeria’s Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention. “The south requires a different model due to its rainfall pattern,” he said.
WHO and partners including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged support for the rollout. “No child should die from a preventable disease,” WHO officials stressed.
Osun State pilot studies have already shown positive results in eight LGAs, said state public health director, Dr Akeem Bello.
Officials urged caregivers to embrace preventive tools. “Malaria is everybody’s business. If I sleep under a net and take preventive drugs, I protect my blood and break the chain,” Prof Mokuolu said.
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Hussaini Ibrahim 
