DOUALA, Cameroon — On Monday, Cameroon will be the first country in Africa to routinely give children a new malaria vaccine as part of the continent-wide rollout.
The initiative has been characterized by officials as a pivotal milestone in the decades-long endeavor to mitigate the mosquito-spread disease in Africa, which contributes to 95% of the world’s malaria fatalities.
Cameroon will administer the first of two recently approved malaria vaccines, Mosquirix. The World Health Organization endorsed the vaccine about two years ago, recognizing its potential to significantly reduce severe infections and hospitalizations despite its imperfections.
Advocates in Cameroon are targeting the vaccination of around 250,000 children this year and the next. Gavi vaccines alliance, which is reportedly helping the country secure the vaccine, announced its collaboration with 20 other African countries to support vaccine distribution, with the collective aim of immunizing more than 6 million children by 2025, The Associated Press reported.
Every year, Africa experiences around 250 million cases of the parasitic disease, leading to 600,000 deaths, with young children being the most affected.
More on the malaria vaccine campaign in Cameroon.
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