The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has decided to commence the malaria vaccination through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) on Monday, 25th November, 2024.
The tentative date is scheduled with hope of no unexpected change in plans. The vaccination will occur in three phases according to the arrangements.
Gavi, which is the Vaccine Alliance, donated 846,200 doses of R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine to the federal government for the pilot phase of the malaria vaccine administration in October.
The first phase of the vaccination is scheduled to occur in Kebbi, and Bayelsa States, and would be administered in four doses on infants at 5, 6, 7, and 15 months of age, to be fully protected.
The second phase will be in 19 states + FCT, and the rest of the states in the federation will join in the third and last phases.
The NPHCDA said it has commenced the training of health workers that would be involved in the immunisation, adding that it also hosted stakeholders across the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) and non-EPI sectors ahead the introduction of the malaria vaccine in Nigeria
Dr. Aliyu Ladan, the Director for Advocacy and Communication at the NPHCDA, said that the engagements mark a critical step in the fight against malaria, focusing on partnership, innovation, and inclusivity, to ensure successful rollout and equitable access for all.
Similarly, the Vaccine Network for Disease Control (VNDC) has congratulated the Federal Ministry of Health and NPHCDA for a job well done, and promised to play their part in ensuring that the roll out is a success.
Meanwhile, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, who received the vaccines in October, said the arrival of the vaccines mark the beginning of a new trajectory in the fight against malaria, commending the WHO, UNICEF and other Development Partners for the great role they have played over the years to realise the dream.
