KAMPALA, Uganda
In a decisive move to combat malaria, the Ugandan government has made it mandatory for all six-month-old babies to receive the malaria vaccine, a policy aimed at reducing the high burden of the disease among young children.
The announcement was made by
Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, minister of Health, as she flagged off the distribution of
2.2 million doses to 105 districts across the country.
Malaria remains the leading
cause of illness and death among children under five in Uganda, with Unicef
reporting that the disease claims approximately 20,000 young lives annually.
It accounts for 30 to 50 per
cent of all outpatient visits, 15 to 20 per cent of hospital admissions, and up
to 20 per cent of inpatient deaths. Uganda ranks third globally in malaria
cases, behind Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and eighth in
malaria-related deaths.
The nationwide vaccination
campaign will begin in April, with Apac district—which has the highest malaria
prevalence in the country—as the starting point.
The vaccine will be
administered in four doses: at six months, seven months, eight months, and the
final booster at 18 months.
“Malaria remains one of the
leading causes of illness and death, particularly among children under five and
pregnant women. Every day, we lose 16 people to malaria, and of these, 10 are
children under five years old. This is unacceptable. We reaffirm our commitment
to reversing this trend,” Dr Aceng said.
The introduction of the ARRA
21 malaria vaccine marks a major milestone in Uganda’s fight against the
disease. Uganda has become the 19th country globally to introduce the vaccine
and is undertaking the largest rollout in the world.
It now joins Kenya, Ghana and
Malawi, where more than two million children have already been vaccinated.
The vaccination program is
being implemented in partnership with Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, which has
secured 2,278,000 doses at a cost of $8,884,200 (Shs 32.6 billion) in
collaboration with the Ugandan government.
Dr Aceng emphasized that the
vaccine is safe, effective and free of charge, urging parents to ensure their
children receive all four doses to maximize protection.
“No parent should pay for the
malaria vaccine, whether it’s the first, second, third, or fourth dose. By
ensuring that our children receive all four doses, we are significantly
reducing malaria-related deaths while also protecting families from financial
burdens that push them into poverty,” she said.
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