Over 40,000 children affected by malaria in Kogi

The Malaria Consortium has reported that 40,678 confirmed malaria cases were recorded among children under the age of five in Kogi State in 2024.

Out of this figure, 683 were severe cases requiring hospitalisation, and 12 children sadly lost their lives to the disease.

This was disclosed by Okwulu Andrew, the State Programme Manager of Malaria Consortium, during the 2025 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) media parley held in Lokoja.

He explained that the primary goal of the media engagement was to mobilise media professionals to raise awareness about the importance of SMC and the Consortium’s efforts to prevent, control, and treat malaria in children aged between 3 and 59 months—considered the most vulnerable age group.

Malaria Consortium, a leading international non-profit organisation established in 2003, focuses on reducing the burden of malaria and other communicable diseases.

It operates across Africa and Asia in collaboration with governments and partners to strengthen health service delivery, especially for children under five.

Welcoming participants to the media parley, the Programme Manager of the Kogi State Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP), Pharm. Rabiu Salihu Muhammed, stressed the need for synergy between the media and health workers.

He noted that public awareness could significantly influence perception and action toward malaria prevention.

He also cited challenges such as insecurity and flooding in remote areas as major obstacles to effective implementation.

Orimodu Matthew, ACSM/SBCC Specialist at the State Malaria Elimination Programme, outlined a range of challenges facing the SMC programme.

These include funding constraints, logistics and supply chain issues, insufficient training and deployment of health workers, weak integration with existing health systems, community resistance, drug stockouts, and inadequate monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

To overcome these hurdles, he recommended increased funding from international donors, government support, and public-private partnerships.

He also advocated for improved supply chain systems, better use of technology for monitoring, incentives for health workers, and robust community engagement through sensitisation campaigns involving local leaders and influencers.

Dr. Salamatu Yahaya, state team lead of FHCI; Maryam Edmond, Community System Strengthening Manager at Famkris Health Care Initiative; and other stakeholders at the event echoed the call for stronger collaboration, supervision, and media involvement to ensure the project’s success.

They emphasized that with unified efforts and strategic planning, SMC programmes can significantly reduce malaria cases and save children’s lives in Kogi State and beyond.