The Federal Government has integrated malaria vaccine into the national immunization routine, to end $1.1bn annual loss to health crisis. The Minister for Health & Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, at the inaugural meeting of the Advisory on Malaria Elimination in Nigeria (AMEN) held in Abuja, described malaria as not just a health crisis, but also an economic and developmental emergency that must be eliminated.
Ali Pate stated that the Federal Government is resolute in its commitment to eliminate malaria, as over 180,000 Nigerian children under the age of five lost their lives to malaria in 2022.
“Malaria continues to exert an unacceptable toll on Nigeria With 27% of global malaria cases and 31% of global malaria deaths; our country bears the heaviest burden of this disease.”
On its economic consequences, he added that, “This is not just a health crisis; it is an economic and developmental emergency. Malaria reduces productivity, increases out-of-pocket health expenditures and, compounds the challenges of poverty.
It is therefore a critical component of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) framework for transforming the health sector, in alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration.
Also, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) disclosed on its X handle that malaria vaccines would now be part of the national routine immunization.
“The vaccine will offer protection to millions of children and move the country closer to a malaria-free future.”
It said the first phase of the malaria vaccine rollout will commence in Kebbi and Bayelsa states.
Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases in Nigeria and Africa, taking the lives of hundreds of thousands of children under the age of 5 each year.
Earlier in October, the federal government received one million doses of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine donated by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. It was delivered with the support of UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) for the prevention of malaria in children.
The Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr Muyi Aina, said the vaccine will be administered to children aged five months to 15 months as part of routine immunization.
“The introduction will be expanded to other states and integrated into our national routine immunization schedule, as we receive additional doses.
“The second phase will target 19 states and FCT, while the third phase will target the remaining 15 States. Both phases are scheduled for 2025”.
