United Commitment Can Eliminate Malaria in Plateau- Stakeholders.

Stakeholders in the fight against malaria in Plateau State have stressed that a unified commitment by government, partners, and communities is key to eliminating the disease.

They made this known during a symposium marking World Malaria Day, on Saturday at Chrispan Hotel and Suites in Jos. The event with the themed “Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must,” with the slogan “Let’s Do It,” brought together government officials, development partners, and public health advocates to review progress and strengthen awareness efforts.

Speaking at the event, Plateau State Deputy Governor, Josephine Piyo, said the state government is proud of the progress made through the Ministry of Health and the State Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP), with support from development partners under the “Time Is Now” administration.

She cited the success of the 2024 and 2025 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaigns, which recorded over 100 percent coverage across five implementation cycles from June to October 2024. According to her, the feat was achieved through the engagement of over 12,000 ad-hoc staff and strong collaboration with the Malaria Consortium.

Piyo also highlighted the 96 percent success rate recorded during the 2024 Insecticide-Treated Net (ITN) campaign, commending the wife of the state governor, Helen Mutfwang, who served as Net Ambassador, alongside wives of local government chairmen for their advocacy efforts.

She further noted that, with support from the Global Health Supply Chain- Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project, malaria commodities, including rapid diagnostic test kits, ACTs, IPTp drugs, and Artesunate injections are being distributed to 406 health facilities across the state, benefiting communities in all 325 wards.

The Deputy Governor also appreciated the World Health Organization for its technical support and welcomed the PATH-REACH Project as a new partner in the malaria elimination drive.

According to her, malaria prevalence in Plateau State has dropped significantly from 18.8 percent in 2021 to 2.8 percent in 2025, a development she described as a testament to the commitment of healthcare workers, partners, and communities.

She reaffirmed the government’s resolve to sustain the fight until a malaria-free Plateau State and Nigeria are achieved, urging residents to adopt preventive measures such as sleeping under insecticide-treated nets, eliminating mosquito breeding sites, testing before treatment, and ensuring proper antenatal care for pregnant women.

In his welcome remarks, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Baamlong, commended the state government and stakeholders for their sustained efforts and contributions to malaria control.

Also speaking, Malaria Consortium representative, Dr. Mbwas Machor, said the organization has partnered with the State since 2021 to deliver life-saving preventive medicines to over one million children aged 3–59 months monthly during peak transmission periods from June to October.

He noted that the intervention has significantly reduced malaria prevalence and deaths among children under five, while calling on the government to increase domestic funding and urging communities to adopt preventive practices, including the use of treated nets and environmental sanitation.

Coordinator of State Malaria Eradication Programme SMEP, Dr. Kizito Zuhumnan, said the symposium aimed to chart strategies to further reduce malaria prevalence from the current 2.8 percent to zero, expressing confidence that elimination is achievable.

Malaria remains a major public health challenge in Nigeria, accounting for nearly a quarter of global cases and deaths, with an estimated nine to ten deaths recorded every hour from the disease and its complications.