The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) says its ongoing Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance Mass Administration of Azithromycin (SARMAAN) project is targeted at reducing infant mortality in the country.
Prof. Babatunde Salako, the Director-General of NIMR, disclosed this at SARMAAN engagement meeting with the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa.
Salako said the project was in partnership with Sight Saver, Malaria Consortium, eHealth Africa, Federal Ministry of Health, African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), Institute for Disease Modelling (IDM), among others.
He explained that the first phase of SARMAAN was initiated two years ago following a recommendation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on mass administration of Azithromycin in countries with high infant mortality rate.
He noted that the first phase of the project, which is SARMAAN 1, had been concluded in six pilot states – Kebbi, Kano, Sokoto, Abia, Jigawa, Akwa-Ibom and Sokoto.
Salako said: “SARMAN project is directed at reducing under five mortality and this came up from a study supported by some funders and monitored by WHO in countries where infant mortality were high.
“Mass Administration of Azithromycin was used in the countries and it brought about 13.8 percent reduction in which was significant in those countries.
“The SARMAAN 1 has been concluded in 6 pilot states that benefited from the mass Administration where infants between one month’s to 11 months were given Azithromycin with six months intervals.
Speaking also, Prof. Oliver Ezechi, the Principal Investigating Officer of SARMAAN, said the phase two of the project would commenced in Kano in July.
Ezechi, a Director of Research in NIMR, said the project, which captured no fewer than 1.3 million children from one month to 11 months of age, used 3.6 million quantity of Azithromycin over six months interval
He added that SARMAAN 2 would focused on the number of reduction in infants mortality and evaluate the safety of the mass administration of the drugs among children one to 59 months in the next four years.
” SARMAAN 1 was a limited research we carried out that involved two six states and the project showed that Azithromycin was safe for children and only less that two per cent of the children reported side effects common among children.
“Before we started, we measured the antimicrobial resistance level and obtain 4.1 per cent before introducing the drugs and ensured that we are not solving one problem and starting another one.
” The safety perimeters shows that the drug is very good and that is why SARMAAN will be extended to children from one months to 59 months to enable us know the number of reduction in infant mortality,” he said.
He said the project would be taken to the government after its conclusion, to be considered as a policy, alongside other existing effort put in place by the government to reduce infant mortality.
Speaking after the presentation of report on the SARMAAN 1 research, Dr Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Health, urged all participants in the project to ensure safety and imbibe good practice.
Alausa said the President Bola Tinubu led government would not relent in its effort to reduce the high infant mortality in the country. (NAN)
