Nigeria Malaria Campaign Targets 1 Million Kids

Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory is protecting more than one million children under five from malaria this rainy season, and the results from previous years show it's working.

The Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention campaign kicked off Monday in Abuja, offering free preventive treatment to 1,015,240 children aged three months to just under five years old. Trained community health workers will visit homes door-to-door from June through October, delivering life-saving medicine during the peak transmission season.

The stakes couldn't be higher. Nigeria carries 27% of the world's malaria cases and nearly 30% of all malaria deaths, with young children hit hardest during rainy months when mosquitoes thrive.

But here's the encouraging news: the FCT's prevention program is making remarkable progress. Malaria rates plummeted 58% between 2021 and 2025, dropping from 18.8% to just 7.9% among the population.

Health Secretary Adedolapo Fasawe credited the dramatic improvement to consistent teamwork between government agencies, development partners, and local communities. The campaign has run successfully since 2022, proving that sustained effort pays off.

The treatment involves two medicines given to healthy children as a shield against infection. Parents receive the first dose from community distributors, then give their children two more doses over the following days. The full three-day course repeats monthly for five cycles.

The Ripple Effect

Nearly 54 million children across 20 countries now benefit from this World Health Organization-recommended approach. The success in Nigeria's capital territory demonstrates how targeted prevention during high-risk months can dramatically reduce childhood illness and death.

The Malaria Consortium, which helps fund the program through philanthropic support and the Global Fund, plans to expand assistance this year with insecticide-treated bed nets. Technical specialist Jennifer Chukwumerije emphasized the importance of government commitment to sustain these gains beyond donor funding.

The campaign faces one practical challenge: reaching children in gated communities and estates. Health officials are asking residents to welcome the community distributors, emphasizing that the free medicines are safe, effective, and could save their children's lives.

Officials also encourage families to enroll in health insurance programs to reduce out-of-pocket costs for malaria treatment and other healthcare needs. The combination of prevention and accessible treatment offers the best path toward a malaria-free future.

With five months of protection ahead for FCT's youngest residents, health workers are optimistic about pushing malaria rates even lower this year.