By Leonard Okachie
Stakeholders in the health sector have called for the integration of mass administration of Azithromycin into the country’s health systems in a safe, acceptable, and scalable manner, to reduce child mortality.
A cross section of the people made the call on Wednesday in Umuahia at the close-out ceremony for the first phase of the Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance of Mass Administration of Azithromycin in Children in Nigeria (SARMAAN) project.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that SARMAAN is a study that examines whether Azithromycin, an antibiotics, can effectively reduce child mortality in low and middle-income countries.
The stakeholders’ recommendation followed a successful pilot project tagged, “Safety and Anti-microbial Resistance of Mass Administration of Azithromycin to Children 1-11 months in Umunneichi Local Government Area of Abia”.
The Coordinator, SARMAAN in Sightsavers Country Office, Dr Teyil Wamyil-Mshelia, said that the drugs were effectively administered to over 40,000 infants in Umunneichi LGA within two years of implementation.
Wamyil-Mshelia explained that the preliminary results from SARMAAN showed that the mass distribution of Azithromycin did not lead to high levels of antimicrobial resistance.
She said that the study also showed that the medication had a good safety profile and was widely accepted by the communities involved.
Wamyil-Mshelia said that the pilot phase was implemented from 2022 to 2024 across 52 LGAs in six states, including Umunneichi in Abia
She described Abia as a state with a strong system and structure, where interventions can effectively be implemented.
Wamyil-Mshelia called for collaborative efforts with the local, state and Federal Governments to make the medicine available for every child.
In a remark, the Commissioner for Health in the state, Prof. Enoch Uche, expressed the confidence that SARMAAN stands as a promising model in government’s ongoing efforts to reduce childhood mortality.
Uche, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Ifeyimwa Uma-Kalu, , said that the project was implemented leveraging the existing Immunisation health service delivery platform.
He said: “We are committed to building on this success, expanding its reach, and ensuring that every child in Umunneochi LGA has the opportunity to thrive.
“I am pleased to report that SARMAAN has achieved remarkable success.
“Specifically, we have demonstrated that the mass administration of Azithromycin to infants can be integrated into our existing health systems in a safe, acceptable, and scalable manner.”
Uche thanked the partners, including the Federal Ministry of Health, Sightsavers, Gates Foundation, the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, e-Health Africa, and others for the successful implementation.
In a goodwill message, the Executive Secretary, Abia State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Kalu Ulu Kalu, expressed gratitude to the organisers for selecting Abia as one of the states for the pilot project.
Kalu lauded the collaboration among the different stakeholders in the quest to reduce child mobidity and mortality in the country. (NAN)
