Nigeria has received its first batch of 846,000 doses of the R21 malaria vaccine from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
The official launch took place on Thursday in Abuja, attended by officials from the Ministry of Health, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and development partners.
Health Minister Ali Pate described the arrival of the vaccines as a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to eliminate malaria.
He said the vaccines are an opportunity for every child to live a life free of the disease.
“Every child that has a full course of the vaccine has an opportunity to live a life of health. A child who is immunized against the disease has an opportunity to live a life free of that disease. So it’s a miracle, but it’s also a source of opportunity”, the minister said adding that ”They are safe and efficacious.”
The minister noted that the vaccines are not enough for the population, and urged all Nigerians to take advantage of the limited availability and to discount misinformation for uninformed people who sometimes have their own agendas or may not understand what they are talking about.
He stated that the vaccines will be distributed first to states with the highest malaria burden, including Kebbi and Bayelsa, and will complement existing treatments for the disease.
Pate also addressed concerns about the vaccine’s safety, assuring the public that it has been proven to be both safe and effective for malaria prevention.
NPHCDA Director General, Muyi Aina, explained the distribution strategy, noting that an enforcement team will be set up to ensure proper administration. The agency will soon announce the dates and locations for the rollout.
Aina added that an additional 140,000 doses are expected in the coming months, with the goal of securing one million doses for the initial phase. The R21 malaria vaccine, produced by the Serum Institute of India, will be administered in two doses per vial.
What you should know
As of October 2, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended both the RTS,S/AS01 and R21/Matrix-M vaccines for preventing malaria in children. The vaccines should be administered in a schedule of four doses starting from around five months of age.
These vaccines target Plasmodium falciparum, the most dangerous malaria parasite worldwide and the most prevalent in Africa. The RTS,S vaccine, which was first recommended by WHO in October 2021, has already reached over 2 million children in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi through the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP).
Malaria situation and at-risk populations
Despite progress, malaria control remains a global challenge. In 2022, there were an estimated 249 million cases of malaria and 608,000 malaria-related deaths worldwide. The WHO African Region continues to bear the brunt of this disease, accounting for 94% of global cases and 95% of deaths.
Children are particularly vulnerable, with nearly half a million African children dying from malaria each year.
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