Kaduna State government has concluded plans to administer Azithromycin (antimicrobial resistance drug) on 2.8 million children.
The Deputy Governor, Hadiza Balarabe disclosed this at the inauguration of the safety and antimicrobial resistance of mass administration of Azithromycin( SARMAAN II) project in Kaduna.
She said the mass administration of Azithromycin is for children between the ages of one to 59 months.
According to her, children under five and pregnant women, have continued to show traits from the disease that should no longer claim lives.
“This darkens our days, diminishes our dreams and dents our consciousness. Each child lost to preventable illness represents not just a family grief, but our society’s greatest failure.
“Phenomena, sepsis and diarrhea have continued to steal thousands of young lives annually, robbing families of their joy, communities of their hope and state of its brightest,” she said.
She added that the research component would be led by the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, NIMR, in collaboration with the federal and state ministries of health, national agencies such as Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the National Primary Health Care Development Agencyx as well as international partners.
The Commissioner for Health, Umma Kaltum-Ahmed said the SARMAAN II project represents a critical step in the state’s commitment to reduce under-five mortality by providing Azithromycin to children aged one to 59 months across the 23 local governments.
Kaltum-Ahmed noted that the initiative is a collaborative effort between the Federal Ministry of Health, Kaduna State Ministry of Health, Malaria Consortium, NIMR, NAFDAC, and Solina Health, SCIDaR, among others.
She appreciated the invaluable contributions of traditional rulers, development partners, health workers and community stakeholders whose dedication have continued to strengthen health system and improve the lives of citizens.
Earlier, the West Africa Director, Malaria Consortium, Maxwell Kolawale said the aim is to reduce mortality from common childhood illnesses.
Kolawale added that over 16,000 personnel have been trained and employed which reiterates the scheme’s ambition to the project.
According to him, the project is not only about drug administration, but also a bold step towards reducing under-five mortality, building a resilient health system and improving health outcomes for a long time.
