Nigeria has received 846,000 doses of a groundbreaking malaria vaccine from development partners to reduce the country’s high incidence of the disease, especially among children and other vulnerable groups.
Muhammad Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, announced during the event on Thursday in Abuja that the vaccines were expected to play a pivotal role in lowering malaria-related deaths.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that large clinical trials in Africa proved vaccine, RTS,S/AS01 (Mosquirix) as effective in reducing contracting malaria cases and mortality among young children.
Malaria affects 97 per cent of Nigeria’s population. Its transmission occurs year-round in southern regions and lasts up to three months in the northern regions.
The primary malaria vectors are Anopheles coluzzii and Anopheles gambiae, with Anopheles funestus playing a secondary role in some areas.
The vaccines come as Nigeria intensifies efforts to reduce malaria-related deaths under the National Malaria Strategic Plan (NMSP) 2021–2025.
Mr Pate, a professor, said the vaccine would significantly boost the country’s ongoing malaria elimination efforts.
“Our target is to prioritise regions most affected by malaria, particularly in rural areas where access to healthcare is limited,” he said.
He also said the vaccine rollout would begin in high-burden regions before expanding nationwide.
According to him, global health partners, including WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi, are providing technical and financial support to ensure the successful implementation of the vaccine.
“USAID and other partners are pushing for rapid scale-up beyond the initial two states, aiming for a nationwide rollout to cover all regions of the country”, he said.
Source: premiumtimesng.com
