Mathew Amaechi
Sightsavers, an international non-governmental agency, has recorded a significant milestone in its SARMAAN project pilot phase in Akwa Ibom State. The project, aimed at reducing child mortality, has successfully treated over 36,000 children aged 1-11 months with azithromycin drugs in Ikono Local Government Area.
The SARMAAN project, introduced in Nigeria in 2020, focuses on administering azithromycin to infants biannually to lower early childhood mortality. The drug is used to treat various ailments affecting children and contributes to reducing infant deaths between 0-5 years. The project’s pilot phase in Ikono LGA was conducted under strict monitoring to ascertain the safety and anti-microbial resistance of the medicine.
The Project Coordinator, Dr Teyil Wamiyel-Mshella, disclosed this in Uyo while fielding questions from newsmen during the close-out ceremony of the safety and anti-microbial resistance of mass administration of azythromycin to children aged 1-11 months in Ikono LGA.
“Azythromycin is a very good medicine, it’s an antibiotics that is used for the treatment of many ailments that affect children and also contribute to infants to children deaths between 0 to 05 years. So this drug was used mainly to show the effects of it on child survival, that is why we were monitoring the safety of the medicine and it anti-microbial resistance.
“We have been able to treat over 36,000 children in Ikono LGA, and we were able to engage with caregivers for them to know the usefulness of the medicine ,” Wamiyel-Mshella said.
She expressed satisfaction with the level of acceptability of the project in the LGA, and called on the state government to key into it to bridge the infant mortality gap in the state.
Quotes from Stakeholder- “We have been able to treat over 36,000 children in Ikono LGA, and we were able to engage with caregivers for them to know the usefulness of the medicine,” said Dr. Teyil Wamiyel-Mshella, Project Coordinator- “I want to recognise the good people of Ikono LGA, the Chairman, the Paramount Ruler, who allowed this activity to succeed,” said Dr. Ekem John, Commissioner for Health.
The Project Coordinator has called on the state government to key into the project to bridge the infant mortality gap in the state. The project’s success has shown improvement in child survival, and stakeholders are optimistic about its potential to make a positive impact on the community.
