The Plateau State Government has officially launched the 2026 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign, reaffirming its commitment to protecting children from malaria and further reducing the disease burden across the state.
The flag-off ceremony, held at the Crispan Event Centre in Jos, brought together government officials, health professionals, development partners, community leaders, and other stakeholders dedicated to improving child health and advancing malaria prevention efforts.
The SMC campaign is designed to provide preventive malaria medication to eligible children during the peak malaria transmission season, helping to reduce illness and deaths associated with the disease.
Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Ba’amlong, commended the First Lady of Plateau State, Barr. Helen Mutfwang, for her unwavering support and advocacy for child health as the 2026 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention Ambassador.
He noted that her commitment has strengthened efforts aimed at protecting children from malaria and promoting healthier communities across the state.
Dr. Ba’amlong also acknowledged the contributions of the Plateau State Malaria Elimination Programme, Malaria Consortium, development partners, frontline healthcare workers, and community volunteers whose collective efforts have helped reduce malaria cases in Plateau State over the years.
The Commissioner further praised Governor Caleb Mutfwang for prioritizing healthcare and providing the necessary support for public health interventions across the state.
He called on community leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, local government authorities, and the wives of local government chairmen to actively support the campaign to ensure its success.
A major highlight of the event was the official crowning of Barr. Helen Mutfwang as the 2026 Ambassador of the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention Campaign in recognition of her advocacy for the health and wellbeing of women and children.
Addressing participants, the First Lady described the launch of the campaign as another significant milestone in Plateau State’s fight against malaria.
She expressed satisfaction with the progress made in malaria control, revealing that malaria prevalence in the state had declined dramatically from 18.8 per cent in 2021 to 2.8 per cent in 2025.
According to her, the achievement reflects the impact of sustained government commitment, strong partnerships, dedicated healthcare workers, active community participation, and the support of development partners.
“This achievement demonstrates that with strong leadership, effective partnerships, and community participation, malaria can be defeated,” she stated.
Barr. Mutfwang urged parents and caregivers to ensure that all eligible children receive the free preventive malaria medicines throughout every cycle of the campaign.
She also commended Governor Caleb Mutfwang, Malaria Consortium, healthcare workers, community volunteers, and development partners for their contributions to malaria prevention and control efforts before officially declaring the campaign open.
Earlier, the Programme Manager of the Plateau State Malaria Elimination Programme, Nurse Ndak Kizito Zuhumnan, explained that the campaign aims to mobilise communities and stakeholders to protect children during the period of highest malaria transmission.
He disclosed that trained community drug distributors, healthcare workers, and supervisors would conduct house-to-house visits from June to October to administer preventive malaria medicines to children aged between three and 59 months across the state.
“The aim of this medication is to prevent children from coming down with malaria. We want to reach over one million children, and we urge parents and guardians to make every eligible child available for this free and safe intervention,” he said.
Zuhumnan attributed Plateau State’s remarkable progress in malaria control to the successful implementation of the SMC programme and the sustained collaboration among government agencies, healthcare workers, development partners, media organisations, and community leaders.
In a goodwill message delivered on behalf of the West and Central Africa Programme Director of Malaria Consortium, Dr. Maxwell Kolawole, Dr. Mbwas Mashor commended the Plateau State Government and its partners for their sustained commitment to malaria control.
He noted that despite Nigeria bearing one of the highest malaria burdens globally, Plateau State has recorded significant gains in reducing malaria prevalence through targeted interventions, strategic partnerships, and consistent implementation of proven health programmes.
Dr. Mashor disclosed that the 2026 SMC campaign is expected to reach more than one million eligible children across the state.
He reaffirmed Malaria Consortium’s commitment to supporting malaria elimination efforts and called for stronger government ownership, increased domestic funding, and continued collaboration to sustain and expand the gains already achieved.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Association of Primary Health Care, Chundung Maina, praised Plateau State’s commitment to strengthening its healthcare system through evidence-based planning and implementation.
She observed that the progress recorded in the state reflects growing political will, improved investment in healthcare, and the effective use of data in public health decision-making.
According to her, Plateau State is increasingly earning national recognition as a model for health sector transformation, adding that sustained commitment, strategic investment, and adequate financing will be crucial to consolidating and expanding the gains already recorded.
