Nigeria will receive its first shipment of the long-awaited 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 vaccine, known as RTS,S/AS01 (Mosquirix), would be received in Abuja by Muhammad Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) confirmed the event through an invitation sent by the agency on Wednesday in Abuja.
NAN reports that the arrival of the vaccines is an initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO) to distribute malaria vaccines to high-burden countries in Africa, including Nigeria.
The NPHCDA said barring unforeseen circumstances, the country will officially release malaria vaccines on Thursday to help protect children from the potentially deadly disease.
NAN reports that the introduction of the malaria vaccine is expected to significantly reduce malaria cases and deaths, especially in vulnerable populations.
the long wait
In May, Newslodgereported that three other West African countries – Liberia, Sierra Leone and Benin – were ahead of schedule in rolling out malaria vaccines. This newspaper reported that the three countries, with a lower malaria burden than Nigeria, launched thousands of doses of a malaria vaccine in April for babies between 5 and 17 months.
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Nigeria lagged behind despite bearing the largest global burden of the disease.
Newslodgediscovered that Nigeria missed the April launch because the malaria vaccine designated for deployment in Nigeria by GAVI was not ready for distribution.
GAVI's head of malaria vaccines, Scott Gordon, told this newspaper in May that the three countries that began distributing malaria vaccine doses to their children were the ones that received RTS,S, the vaccine that was ready for its distribution at that time.
He said countries were allocated vaccines based on cost along with their level of demand, with Nigeria among other countries receiving the R21 vaccine.
Mr Scott noted that GAVI considered the R21 vaccine to be the most suitable for Nigeria based on the country's needs and plans, as presented in its proposal to GAVI.
However, the batch of vaccine that is about to be delivered to Nigeria is from the WHO, which has opted for RTS,S/AS01 (Mosquirix) for the country.
Developed distribution strategy
The Nigerian government said it has developed a strategic distribution plan to prioritize the regions most affected by malaria, particularly in rural areas where access to healthcare is limited.
The rollout will begin in these high-load regions before expanding nationwide.
The expected vaccines, known as RTS,S/AS01 (Mosquirix), have been shown to reduce malaria cases and mortality among young children in large clinical trials in Africa.
Malaria remains a serious challenge in Nigeria
Meanwhile, malaria remains a serious public health problem in Nigeria: transmission occurs year-round in southern regions and lasts up to three months in northern regions.
The main vectors of malaria are Anopheles coluzzii and Anopheles gambiae, while Anopheles funestus plays a secondary role in some areas.
Nigeria accounts for 27 percent of global malaria cases and 31 percent of global malaria deaths, making it the country with the highest malaria burden in the world.
Malaria prevalence among children under five fell from 42 percent in 2010 to 23 percent in 2018.
There are significant disparities between rural (31 percent) and urban (13 percent) populations, as well as between socioeconomic groups.
In response to the current malaria crisis, the National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP) launched the High Burden, High Impact (HBHI) approach.
The goal is to reduce malaria prevalence to less than 10 percent and malaria-related deaths to less than 50 per 1,000 people by 2025.
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Efforts have included switching to injectable artesunate for the treatment of severe malaria and increasing coverage of preventive malaria treatments for pregnant women.
The percentage of pregnant women who received at least three doses of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine increased from 16.6 percent in 2018 to 31 percent in 2021.
However, challenges such as low prenatal care attendance and limited access to treatment remain obstacles to further progress.
NAN reports that public health experts are optimistic about the vaccine's potential to save lives.
They believe that this vaccine, 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.
(YAYA)