By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria has received the first batch of 846,000 doses of the R21 malaria vaccines, from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Health, Professor Ali Pate, at the official launch of the vaccines on Thursday and was attended by officials of the Ministry of Health, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and development partners.
The Minister described the arrival of the vaccines as a significant milestone in the government’s efforts to eliminate malaria in the country, which is the most malaria-endemic country in the world.
Malaria is a prevalent disease affecting a high population of Nigerians, which accounts for 39 per cent of global malaria deaths in children under 5 years of age and the effective management of severe malaria is a health priority.
The Minister said the vaccines would first be distributed to states with the highest burden of the disease, particularly Kebbi and Bayelsa and would serve as a complement to other treatments for malaria.
Professor Pate also cleared the air on concerns about the efficacy of the vaccine, stating that it has proven to be safe and efficient for malaria treatment.
Also, the Director General of the NPHCDA, Mr Muyi Aina, explained the plans for distribution, adding that an enforcement team would be set up by the agency and the date and location for the administration of the vaccines would be communicated in due course.
Mr Aina said about 140,000 doses are expected in the coming months as the target is to make available one million vaccines for the first batch.
The R21 malaria vaccine, which would be administered in two doses per vial, was produced by the Serum Institute of India.