The state health ministry launched a free malaria testing and treatment campaign this week, aiming to reach underserved communities where access to diagnostic services remains limited.

Mobile health teams will visit rural clinics and community centres over the coming month, offering rapid diagnostic tests and antimalarial treatment at no cost to residents.

“Early diagnosis saves lives, and cost should never be the reason someone doesn’t get tested,” a health ministry official said.

The campaign is part of a broader push to reduce malaria-related deaths, which remain disproportionately high among children under five in the region, according to health officials.