Nigeria’s Research Group Fights Child Deaths with Drug Study

The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) gave a drug called Azithromycin to more than four million children in Nigeria. This is part of an extensive study aimed at reducing child deaths.

The study, called SARMAAN, focuses on children aged one to 11 months in places where many babies die.

On Tuesday, NIMR’s Director of Research, Oliver Ezechi, spoke to the press about the first part of the study. It was done in six states: Kano, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto, Abia, and Akwa Ibom.

Mr Ezechi, a consultant obstetrician-gynaecologist, noted that the intervention aims to reduce Nigeria’s under-five death rate, which remains among the highest in the world, by testing the safety and effectiveness of giving Azithromycin routinely to infants in high-risk communities.

He added that the study also monitored potential antimicrobial resistance (AMR) linked to the repeated use of the antibiotic.

“This project is about using evidence to drive solutions to one of our most pressing public health challenges, child survival,” he said.

Why Azithromycin?

Azithromycin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic primarily known to treat bacterial infections.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends its periodic use in high-risk regions as part of integrated child survival strategies, particularly where infant mortality exceeds 60 per 1,000 live births and under-five mortality exceeds 80 per 1,000 live births.

However, concerns about AMR remain in countries like Nigeria. Mr Ezechi explained that SARMAAN I directly addressed these concerns through NIMR’s data collection on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) trends.

Over three cycles of population-based AMR testing, the resistance rates declined from 41.1% in cycle one to 26.5% in cycle three, countering fears that mass drug administration would exacerbate AMR.

Mr Ezechi’s presentation showed that NIMR recorded an impressive coverage per state, with Akwa Ibom achieving the highest at 99 per cent, followed by Kebbi, Sokoto, and Abia states at 97 per cent each, and then Kano and Jigawa at 94 per cent each.

He admitted that one of the key drivers of success was early engagement with traditional and religious leaders.