By William Madouk
South Sudan on Tuesday launched the first Malaria vaccination programme to be offered nationwide.
The mosquito-borne disease kills 6,680 people a year and kills 18 South Sudanese daily, according to statistics from National Ministry of Health. Children under the age of five top the fatality rate.
That prompted the Health Ministry together with partners to rollout the R21 Malaria Vaccine that would be distributed to 28 counties that have prevalence to ailment burden in the country.
Vice President for Service Cluster, Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, who officiated the launching said, “the official launch of malaria vaccination nationwide is crucial and is an inspiring move toward achieving malaria-free South Sudan. The initial target for malaria vaccination campaign are children below the age of 5 – 18 months.”
He lauded the Ministry of Health and partners for their quick response in combating the killer disease malaria.
Akol directed the ministry of health to provide strong supervision over the vaccination exercise and vaccine storage.
“There are always negative thoughts and beliefs surrounding vaccination spread out of fears and stigma, we to work together to repel such negative and reassure the society of safety and importance of malaria vaccination,” he added.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the RTS, ASO1, and R21/Matrix-M vaccines to prevent malaria in children.
The vaccine, a product of collaborative research between the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India, is the second of its kind.
The first vaccine was developed by the pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The pilot program commenced in 2019 and has already vaccinated about 2 million children through the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Program (MVIP).
Likewise, the Minister of Health, Yolanda Awel Deng stated that “Malaria is a major concern for our country. we committed to reducing the impact of malaria and improving the health outcomes for our children.”
“The continued use of this vaccine, alongside other preventive measures such as insecticide-treated bed nets and timely access to medical care, will be instrumental in our effort to eliminate malaria in South Sudan,” she added.
Gavi Senior Country Manager for South Sudan, Patience Musanhu said the nationwide rollout of the malaria vaccine marks a significant milestone in South Sudan’s journey to reduce burden of ailment and save lives.
Hamida Laseko, the children agency’ UNICEF representative noted that availability of vaccines heralds a new chapter in combating the deadly disease.
She called on the government to engage health experts to start an inoculation programme.
Dr Humphrey Karamagi, WHO representative for South Sudan states “the rollout of the malaria vaccine is a game-changer in our fight against this deadly disease.”
“We are committed to protecting young children and reducing the malaria burden in the country,” he added.
The initial phase will cover six states (Central and Eastern Equatoria states, western and Northern Bahr el Ghazal states, Warrap and Jonglei state).
The Ministry of Health aims to vaccinate at least 80% of eligible children with the first dose of malaria in 80 counties by the end of 2025.