Abuja: The Plateau Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Baamlong, announced a significant decline in malaria prevalence within the state.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, this announcement was made during the 2026 World Malaria Day Symposium, organized by Malaria Consortium in collaboration with the State Malaria Eradication Programme (SMEP).
Dr. Baamlong highlighted that data from the Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey (NMIS) indicated a dramatic reduction in malaria cases, with the prevalence rate dropping from 18.8% in 2021 to 2.8% in 2025. This represents an extraordinary 87% reduction, marking the highest recorded decline among all states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In 2024 and 2025, Plateau achieved 100% coverage in its seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) implementation, reaching one million children aged three to 59 months, thanks to the efforts of SMEP and support from Malaria Consortium. The prophylaxis was administered monthly from June to October, covering o
ver 12,000 communities across 787 catchment health facilities in the state’s 325 wards.
Dr. Baamlong stated that this initiative significantly decreased the number of children presenting with fever due to malaria in health facilities. The State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with partners like the Global Health Supply Chain-Procurement Supply Management (GHSC-PSM), supported 406 facilities with commodities for free testing and treatment, particularly benefiting children under five years and pregnant women. This effort has notably reduced child and maternal mortality across the state.
The commissioner attributed Plateau’s success in malaria elimination to strategic planning, strong leadership, effective partnerships, and community engagement. He emphasized the importance of strengthening community ownership of malaria prevention, ensuring consistent use of insecticide-treated nets, promoting early testing and prompt treatment, and expanding preventive therapies for children and pregnant women.
SMEP Pr
ogramme Manager, Kizito Ndak, explained that the seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention aimed to reduce malaria cases among children, especially during the rainy season when prevalence is highest. Ndak emphasized that no child under five should die of malaria and highlighted the deployment of 7,878 community drug distributors across the state to administer medication house-to-house.
Dr. Maxwell Kolawole, Malaria Consortium’s West and Central Africa Programmes Director, noted that over one million children in Plateau received free seasonal malaria chemoprevention drugs in 2024 and 2025. Dr. Kolawole, represented by Dr. Mashor Mbwas, State Project Manager for Malaria Consortium in Plateau, confirmed that children between three to 59 months received the preventive prophylaxis.
World Malaria Day is commemorated annually on April 25, emphasizing the importance of continued efforts to combat malaria.