Stakeholders in Nigeria’s health sector have called for the integration of mass administration of Azithromycin into the national health system in a safe, acceptable, and scalable manner to help reduce child mortality.
The call was made on Wednesday in Umuahia during the close-out ceremony of the first phase of the Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance of Mass Administration of Azithromycin in Children in Nigeria (SARMAAN) project.
SARMAAN is a study designed to evaluate whether Azithromycin, an antibiotic, can significantly reduce child mortality in low- and middle-income countries.
This recommendation followed the successful implementation of a pilot phase titled “Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance of Mass Administration of Azithromycin to Children Aged 1–11 Months” in the Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State.
Dr Teyil Wamyil-Mshelia, SARMAAN Coordinator at Sightsavers Country Office, noted that over 40,000 infants in Umunneochi LGA received the medication during the two-year implementation period.
Wamyil-Mshelia reported that preliminary results from the study indicated that the mass administration of Azithromycin did not lead to high levels of antimicrobial resistance.
She added that the medication demonstrated a favourable safety profile and was widely accepted within participating communities.
The pilot phase, she noted, was implemented between 2022 and 2024 across 52 local government areas in six states, including Umunneochi in Abia.
Wamyil-Mshelia described Abia as a state with a robust health system and structure that supports the effective delivery of interventions. She called for collaboration among local, state, and federal governments to ensure wider access to the medication for all eligible children.
In his remarks, the Abia State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Uche, expressed confidence that SARMAAN represents a promising model in government efforts to combat childhood mortality. He was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Ifeyinwa Uma-Kalu.
“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 results. We have shown that the mass administration of Azithromycin to infants can be safely and effectively integrated into our existing health service delivery systems,” he said.
Prof. Uche extended appreciation to partners including the Federal Ministry of Health, Sightsavers, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, e-Health Africa, and others for their contributions to the project.
In a goodwill message, Dr Kalu Ulu Kalu, Executive Secretary of the Abia State Primary Health Care Development Agency, thanked the organisers for selecting Abia as one of the pilot states.
He commended the cooperation among various stakeholders in the collective effort to reduce child morbidity and mortality across the country.
