Kadjebi: The Kadjebi District Health Directorate in the Oti Region has set a target to administer Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) drugs to 17,129 children during the first round of the campaign, which began on July 2, 2025, and will conclude on July 6, 2025. This initiative aims to mitigate the risk of malaria during the seasonal peaks in transmission.

According to Ghana News Agency, Mrs. Mabel Amankwa-Amoah, the District Health Promotion Officer, announced the campaign details in an interview shortly after its commencement. The strategy includes four rounds of drug administration throughout the rainy season to enhance protection for children. The scheduling for the subsequent rounds is as follows: Second Round: July 30 to August 2, 2025, Third Round: August 27 to August 31, 2025, and Fourth Round: September 24 to September 28, 2028.

Mrs. Amankwa-Amoah has called upon parents, household heads, and caregivers to provide strong support to trained Community Health Volunteers who visit homes to administe
r routine doses. This initiative is part of the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) programme, a public health strategy aimed at significantly reducing malaria cases and fatalities among children residing in areas with high seasonal transmission of the disease.

SMC involves administering antimalarial medications to vulnerable populations, especially children under five years of age, during the malaria transmission season when the risk of infection is highest. MSC has been shown to significantly reduce the incidence of malaria in treated populations, leading to fewer hospitalizations and deaths due to malaria-related complications.