Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire – Côte d’Ivoire received its first shipment of life-saving malaria vaccines this week. This critical step targets a disease that tragically claims the lives of four people daily, primarily young children.
The government announced the arrival of 656,600 doses, enough to initially vaccinate 250,000 children between 0 and 23 months across 16 regions. While malaria deaths have decreased significantly in Côte d’Ivoire, from 3,222 in 2017 to 1,316 in 2020, the mosquito-borne illness remains the leading cause of hospital visits, according to the Ministry of Health.
This new weapon in the fight against malaria is the R21/Matrix-M vaccine, already authorized for use in Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and the Central African Republic. It joins Mosquirix (RTS,S), another WHO-recommended vaccine currently deployed in Cameroon.
The Ivorian government is taking a multi-pronged approach. Alongside the vaccination program, they are distributing mosquito nets and implementing insecticide spraying in areas with high malaria rates.
Malaria’s grip on Africa is undeniable. In 2022 alone, the disease claimed over 600,000 lives globally, with a staggering 95% occurring in Africa and 80% among children under five, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
This new vaccine, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), is the second one recommended by the WHO for children, offering a powerful tool to combat this devastating disease.
