Swipha has always been in the forefront in the malaria battle and has recently taken the fight against malaria to a new and higher level. Although swipha is a pharmaceutical manufacturing and marketing company with a wide range of antimalarials like FANSIDAR^® and FANSIMEF^®,as well as ACTs, DART^® and FARENAX^®, it has taken a bold step to carry out public enlightenment campaigns on the effective prevention and treatment of malaria.

This campaign tagged Swipha Against Malaria (SAM) programme according to the MD, Mr. Colin Cummings, “is in line with the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility policy and also part of our collaborative effort with other Government and Non-Governmental Agencies involved in the Roll Back Malaria programme”

The first phase of this campaign was directed at the 2007 Batch A corps Members of the NYSC programme. The activities took place during their 3-week orientation camp in Delta, Anambra, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Kwara, Benue, Plateau and Bayelsa States as well as the FCT Abuja. Other states covered include Kano, Imo, Borno, Katsina, Lagos, Cross Rivers, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Abia and Enugu States.

The Managing Director further said that the design of the programme is such that the corpers will not only protect themselves from malaria attack during their service year, but as they serve in various communities in the country would become change agents and advocates of the new Federal Government’s policy on the treatment of malaria.

During the African Malaria Day celebration last year (2006) the Federal Government launched the New Policy in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria using drugs known as Artemisinin Combination Therapies (ACTs).

With the present policy, the ACTs are now considered as Over-the-Counter (OTC) medicines and so they may be purchased from Pharmacies without prescription. To this extent, public enlightenment is necessary.

Speaking to the corpers in Sagamu, Ogun State, the Area Manager Lagos, Mr. Emeka Odiah, told the corpers that with the lessons learned during the lecture, it is hoped that they are now in a position to save Nigerians from dying of malaria during their sevice year and beyond.

The lecture covered effective prevention of malaria through reducing or eliminating the breeding of mosquitoes by dislodging stagnant water, cutting of bushes around one’s neighbourhood, sleeping under Insecticide Treated Bed Nets (ITNs) and use of Indoor Residual Sprays (IRS) amongst others.

However, in the event that one comes down with malaria, prompt and effective treatment using ACTs is required to achieve good treatment outcomes.

At each of the camps, swipha talked to all the corps members in camp. Thereafter, they held a technical session (clinical meeting) with the medical corps members at the camp clinic during which the company donated their brands of ACTs – DART^® and FARENAX^® for use at the camp clinics.

To add excitement to the event, all the corpers in the camp participated in a lucky dip. Wonderful gift items ranging form gas cookers, blenders, toasters, Electric irons as well as promotional materials were given to winners.

Indeed the camp management in each of the camps expressed their gratitude and commended swipha’s SAM programme. The corpers on their part were full of praise for swipha.

Malaria has been described as the world’s most deadly and devastating tropical disease. It accounts for 1.2 to 2.7 million death worldwide every year. It is equally said that malaria kills an African child every 30 seconds. The swipha’s SAM programme could not have come at a better time than now.