First shipment of malaria vaccines to arrive in Nigeria Thursday – NPHCDA
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 Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
The News Agency of Nigeria confirmed the event through an invitation sent by the agency, on Wednesday in Abuja.
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 17th October, to help protect children from the life-threatening disease.
Newsmen gathered that 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% of the population.
Proofreading and editing by Gift Luckson and Hafsat Aleeyu Muye, Editor and Journalist at Neptune Prime
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