Kaduna to distribute 4.5m treated nets to fight malaria

The Kaduna State Government has announced plans to distribute 4.5 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets to 1.8 million households across the state as part of efforts to curb the spread of malaria.

The Permanent Secretary of the Kaduna State Ministry of Health, Dr. Aishatu Abubakar-Sadiq, disclosed this at a press conference held yesterday in Kaduna. She said the distribution campaign will run from June 30 to July 3 and is being implemented in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), Catholic Relief Services, Society for Family Health, and Malaria Consortium.

“This campaign is one of the major strategies to improve access to treated nets and implement Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC),” Abubakar-Sadiq said.

She explained that Nigeria’s national strategy on malaria control aims to ensure at least 80% of the population has access to vector control interventions—such as treated nets—by 2025.

As part of the campaign, SMC drugs will also be administered to children aged 3 to 59 months. The intervention involves giving SPAQ, a malaria preventive medication, to about two million children across the state between June and September.

“This is a lifesaving initiative, and we appeal to parents and guardians to make their children available for the SPAQ administration,” she urged.

Abubakar-Sadiq also revealed that the 2025 campaign will include a new environmentally friendly initiative—the “End of Life of Nets” programme—which involves retrieving old mosquito nets from households.

She encouraged residents to redeem their new nets using their e-tokens at designated distribution centers across the state.

“The targeted net distribution strategy not only supports malaria prevention but also contributes to environmental sustainability,” she added.

The state government urged all residents to fully cooperate with health officials to ensure the success of the campaign.