The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced plans to introduce a new malaria prevention plan for children less than five years in southern Nigeria, following the positive outcome from pilot studies.

Dr. Nnena Ogbluafor, who is the National Coordinator of the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), stayed this at the National Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention Research and Policy Dissemination Meeting in Abuja.

According to her, the new intervention is specifically designed for areas with perennial rainfall patterns.She said: “From what we have seen in the field, this intervention is highly favorable. Evidence shows that children who take it as recommended are significantly protected from malaria. We also observed a sharp reduction in the severity of cases among those who adhered to the guidelines.”

She emphasized that the findings align with Nigeria’s child survival strategy.

In her statement, she added: “We are very certain that Nigeria will be adopting this important intervention for the sake of our children’s survival.”

The Coordinator also stated that the initiative would support existing tools such as insecticide-treated nets, antimalarial drugs, and the malaria vaccine.

She continued: “Nigeria has a wide basket of evidence-based interventions to protect children. The perennial malaria chemoprevention now joins this list. We urge caregivers to avail their children of all available interventions so that, in a seamless manner, we can eliminate malaria in Nigeria.”

The Strategic Adviser on Malaria Elimination to the Minister of Health, Prof. Olugbenga Mokuolu, stated that malaria cannot be eliminated with a single approach.

“Our strategies must address both the mosquito, which is the vector, and the disease itself. This means combining vector control with drug-based prevention,” he explained.

Dr. Akeem Bello, Director of Public Health in Osun State, stated that PMC has already shown a good and positive results in eight local government areas where it is being piloted.

”The essence of PMC is to protect under-five children by providing preventive doses at regular intervals. We have seen significant gains and are now working with partners to extend the programme across all local governments in Osun State,” he said.

Representatives of the World Health Organisation, the Gates Foundation, and the Malaria Consortium pledged continued support, stressing that no child should die of malaria. They underscored the importance of sustained government leadership, strong partnerships, and community participation to ensure no child dies from the disease.