The
National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) on Tuesday launched the Seasonal
Malaria Chemo-prevention (SMC), a strategy to tackle the incidence of malaria
in The Gambia.
The
latest national strategy to control malaria was launched at Bakadaji village in
Upper River Region, the first of such kind in the region.
The
launching of SMC is said to be critical for the achievement of the Sustainable
Development Goals.
And
it is also a demonstration of The Gambia’s renewed efforts to make progress
towards preventing and controlling malaria so that it ceases to be a major
public health problem in the country.
In
his launching statement, Minister of Health Omar Sey said the SMC project was
spearheaded by the Gambia Catholic Relief Service (CRS) in collaboration with
the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, WHO, and MRC towards the eventual elimination
of malaria in The Gambia.
Dr
Sey pointed out that the launching of SMC is both “timely and recommended”.
He
explained that the project came about through a recommendation of WHO as an
effective intervention to prevent malaria in approximately 24 million children
aged 3-59 months who live in areas subject to a seasonal surge in malaria
incidence mainly in the Sahel sub-region.
The
minister called on the regional governors to support the Ministry of Health and
partners in ensuring a successful SMC campaign so that together malaria can be
rolled back in The Gambia.
Balla
Kandeh, programme manager of National Malaria Control Program (NMCP), said the
launching of the SMC project is also a demonstration of the level of
partnership between the Ministry of Health and the NMCP in controlling and
preventing the epidemic of malaria in The Gambia.
The
deputy governor of URR, Cherno B. Touray, said the SMC is in line with the
development aspirations of President Jammeh to provide preventive health care
services to Gambians and non-Gambians in The Gambia.
“SMC
with other malaria control strategies will no doubt reduce the incidence of
malaria especially in children less than five years of age,” he said.
