Nigeria Launches Infant Malaria Prevention Policy Initiative

The Federal Government of Nigeria has commenced policy processes for the nationwide rollout of Perennial Malaria Chemoprevention (PMC), a new intervention aimed at preventing malaria in infants. This initiative follows promising results from an implementation study designed to reduce malaria-related deaths among children under five.

Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, announced this development during the PMC Dissemination Meeting in Abuja. He directed the Department of Public Health and the National Malaria Elimination Programme to begin policy work to support the large-scale introduction of PMC.

Salako emphasized the importance of assessing the intervention's cost-effectiveness prior to full-scale adoption. The implementation research, which began in 2023, is part of the National Malaria Strategic Plan 2021-2025 and targets children under 24 months in areas with year-round malaria transmission, particularly in southern Nigeria.

The initiative aligns with World Health Organization recommendations for malaria-endemic countries.