National
Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), in collaboration with Speak Up Africa, and
Catholic Relief Services (CRS), on Friday organised a press briefing on
Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC).
SMC
is an additional malaria prevention and control strategy that includes the
administration of Sulphadoxne Pyrimethamine (SP/ Fansider) and Amodiaqune to
children aged 3-59 months during the high malaria transmission season: the four
months of the rainy season.
Speaking
at the ceremony held at the NMCP conference hall in Kanifing, Balla Kandeh,
programme manager of NMCP, said SMC has been introduced about 2 years ago with
support from UNICEF and since its introduction, malaria has been on the decline.
Dr
Momodou Lamin Waggeh, director health services, malaria remains a serious
public health problem with 655,000 deaths worldwide and about 91 per cent of
the deaths occurred in sub-Saharah Africa.
He
further noted that 86 per cent of the deaths are children under 5.
“Most
of the childhood mortality and mobility occur during the rainy season. Therefore, WHO recommended interventions to
combat malaria such as the use of long lasting insecticide nets, indoor
residual spraying, and intermittent preventive treatment,” Dr Waggeh said.
He
noted that with the changing epidemiology of malaria, it is important to target
specific population or locations for maximal effectiveness.
