Health
Child Mortality: Sokoto Govt, Sightsavers Treat 1.1m Children With Azithromycin
The Sokoto State Government, in collaboration with Sightsavers, has administered the antibiotic azithromycin to 1.1 million children as part of efforts to reduce child mortality.
He explained that the children were treated during the fifth round of the azithromycin administration exercise conducted from Dec. 15 to Dec. 21, 2025, across Sokoto.
He said the state recorded more than 90 per cent coverage during the exercise, expressing optimism that the progress would be sustained through subsequent interventions.
Gandi said that 9,885 settlements, comprising 312,479 households across 213 political wards, were visited by 2,277 teams during the exercise conducted statewide.
According to him, a higher percentage of eligible children would be targeted during the sixth round of the exercise scheduled for Oct. 15 to Oct. 20.
He added that 87 district heads were mobilised to support azithromycin administration to children and strengthen community participation in statewide child-health intervention efforts.
The health educator urged journalists to support the programme through increased public awareness and sustained education on the importance of azithromycin in promoting healthy childhood.
Gandi said the project had successfully administered azithromycin to children, describing the achievement as a milestone towards improving child survival and life expectancy across the state.
Speaking, the Programme Officer, Mr Muhammad Ladan, said azithromycin was a vital antibiotic used to treat various childhood ailments and played a role in reducing child deaths.
Ladan emphasised that the SARMAAN project aligned with global efforts to improve child survival in low- and middle-income countries through biannual azithromycin administration.
He said the approach demonstrated the potential of preventive azithromycin administration to contribute to lowering early childhood mortality, particularly among vulnerable children in affected communities.
He added that stakeholders had continued to monitor azithromycin’s safety and effectiveness while assessing measures aimed at reducing antimicrobial resistance among children receiving treatment.
Ladan further highlighted Sightsavers’ presence in Sokoto since 1996, saying the organisation began with eye-care services before establishing and equipping 19 healthcare centres.
He said the centres had provided consistent, community-based eye-care support, while strengthening access to essential services for underserved populations across the state.
He added that through the interventions, more doctors, nurses, community health workers and auxiliary staff had received specialised eye-care training, strengthening healthcare delivery capacity.
NAN reports that azithromycin is a broad-spectrum macrolide antibiotic that inhibits bacterial protein synthesis, thereby stopping bacterial growth and helping to treat bacterial infections.
The antibiotic is commonly used to treat respiratory infections and other bacterial illnesses, while its preventive administration in specific settings forms part of strategies aimed at improving child survival.(NAN)
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