The Kaduna State Government under its Ministry of Health has commenced the 2026 Schistosomiasis Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign, targeting 1,779,625 school-aged children across the state’s 23 Local Government Areas.
The state Commissioner for Health, Hajiya Umma Ahmed, said this on Friday at the official flag-off of the campaign at Unguwan Shanu Primary Health Care, Kaduna.
She was represented at the event by the Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Health, Dr Aisha Abubakar.
The commissioner said that the intervention was part of the state government’s commitment to reduce the burden of neglected tropical diseases through effective prevention and control measures.
She said that schistosomiasis remains a major public health challenge in Kaduna, with all the 23 local government areas still endemic.
She said the disease had an estimated prevalence of 13.8 per cent in the state, which was above the national average.
“Schistosomiasis is preventable and treatable, yet it continues to affect many of our communities, particularly school-aged children who are frequently exposed to contaminated water bodies.
“If left untreated, the disease can result in blood in urine and stool, infertility, poor cognitive development and other severe health complications,” he said.
Ahmed appreciated the Sightsavers for its sustained technical and financial support.
She also commended the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, development partners, the Ministry of Education, local government councils, traditional and religious leaders and the media for supporting the campaign.
Similarly, the Director of Public Health, Dr Abubakar Sadiq-Idris said that school-aged children were the most vulnerable because of their frequent contact with contaminated rivers, ponds, dams and irrigation canals.
He said that the disease contributed to anaemia, malnutrition, poor physical growth, impaired learning and reduced school attendance, thereby affecting the future productivity of children and communities.
He described the annual MDA campaign as one of the most effective strategies recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to reduce the burden of schistosomiasis in endemic areas.
According to him, Kaduna has consistently achieved the WHO-recommended treatment coverage during previous campaigns, with more than one million children treated annually.
The director also praised the efforts of the state’s Neglected Tropical Diseases team, healthcare workers, teachers, monitoring officers, social mobilisers and other technical personnel involved in the campaign.
Speaking, the representative of Sightsavers, Anita Gwom, said the organization had been supporting the annual mass drug administration campaign against schistosomiasis in Kaduna state since 2011.
She, however, said that the annual distribution of medicines alone would not eliminate the disease.
According to her, medicines currently used for the campaign are donated, warning that such support may not continue indefinitely as many donors have set 2030 as their target.
“We cannot continue to rely on medicines forever.
“We need to invest in safe water, sanitation and hygiene to stop the transmission of these diseases,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some children were administered the drug by the health commissioner to mark the flag-off.(NAN).
