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The Federal Government has announced the commencement of malaria vaccination for children, starting December 2nd 2024, in Bayelsa and Kebbi States.
The vaccination rollout will utilise the 864,200 doses of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine which Nigeria received from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance in October.
According the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), vaccine will be administered to children aged 5 months to 15 months as part of Routine Immunisation. Each child will require four doses, given at 5, 6, 7, and 15 months of age, to ensure full protection.
The NPHCDA explained that Kebbi and Bayelsa were selected as pilot States because of their high prevalence of malaria. Kebbi was chosen due to its highest prevalence rate in the country at 52% while Bayelsa was selected because its target population of 69,935 aligns with the available one million doses for this phase, ensuring effective vaccine distribution.
The second phase will target 19 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while the third phase will encompass the remaining 15 States, both scheduled for 2025.
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An additional 153,800 doses are expected in the country to secure one million doses in this initial phase.
The WHO approved two vaccines: RTS,S, known as Mosquirix, and R21/Matrix-M, which has shown a higher efficacy of 77 percent in initial trials
Malaria remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Nigeria, which bears the highest-burden globally. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Nigeria recorded an estimated 68 million cases and nearly 200,000 malaria-related deaths in 2022.
The WHO’s 2023 malaria report indicated that Nigeria accounted for 27 percent of the global malaria burden, with up to 36% of under-five mortality in the country attributed to malaria.
