Nigeria is set to receive its first consignment of the highly anticipated malaria vaccines on Thursday, marking a significant step in the country’s fight against one of its deadliest diseases.
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) announced that the vaccines would be received in Abuja by Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
The arrival of the vaccines is an initiative by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to distribute malaria vaccines to high-burden countries across Africa, including Nigeria.
The NPHCDA said that barring any unforeseen circumstances, the country would officially unveil the malaria vaccines on Thursday to help protect children from the life-threatening disease.
The introduction of the malaria vaccine is expected to significantly reduce malaria cases and deaths, especially in vulnerable populations.
The government has developed a strategic distribution plan to prioritise regions most affected by malaria, particularly in rural areas where access to healthcare is limited.
The rollout will begin in these high-burden regions before expanding nationwide.
The expected vaccines, known as RTS,S/AS01 (Mosquirix), have been proven to reduce malaria cases and mortality among young children in large clinical trials across Africa.
Nigeria will be the third African country to introduce the vaccine, following Ghana and Kenya, which began using the vaccine in 2023.
Meanwhile, Malaria remains a serious public health issue in Nigeria, affecting 97 percent of the population.
Transmission occurs all year-round in the 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.
Nigeria accounts for 27 per cent of global malaria cases and 31 per cent of global malaria deaths, making it the country with the highest malaria burden in the world.
The prevalence of malaria among children under five years dropped from 42 per cent in 2010 to 23 percent in 2018.
There are significant disparities between rural (31 per cent) and urban (13 per cent) populations, as well as socioeconomic groups.
In response to the ongoing malaria crisis, the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) launched the High Burden High Impact (HBHI) approach.
The goal is to reduce malaria prevalence to below 10 percent and malaria-related deaths to fewer than 50 per 1,000 people by 2025.
Efforts have included switching to injectable artesunate for severe malaria treatment and increasing coverage of preventive malaria treatments for pregnant women.
The percentage of pregnant women receiving at least three doses of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine increased from 16.6 per cent in 2018 to 31 per cent in 2021.
However, challenges such as low antenatal care attendance and limited access to treatment remain obstacles to further progress.
Public health experts are optimistic about the vaccine’s potential to save lives.
They believe that this vaccine, when combined with other preventive measures, will significantly reduce the malaria burden in Nigeria and bring the country closer to achieving the goal of a malaria-free Africa.
