Nigeria launches a program to vaccinate young children against malaria.
This mosquito-borne disease is the most widespread in the world. It killed some 200,000 people last year.
The project was implemented in Bayelsa State in the south of the country which is one of the regions with one of the highest rates of malaria in Nigeria.
“I am happy to bring my child to the health center to be vaccinated because we have heard that malaria is killing other children.” said Esther Michael, mother.
The program mainly targets young children with a first dose administered at the age of five months.
“The concerns I have about this malaria vaccine for babies is that I want it to be available so that it can be given to all children who need it. It doesn’t have to be small and limited so that some children are left out. It must be made available to all children. They should produce more vaccines,” explained Okah Clarise, community health worker.
Despite the successes recorded in Bayelsa so far, the state Commissioner for Health, Seiyefa Brisibe, said his administration still had to deal with misconceptions and misinformation regarding the vaccines.
“Here, the prevalence of malaria is high and, of course, it causes about 30% of deaths among children under five. It is also the root cause of many of the reasons why adults, mothers and fathers, cannot find work. “, said Professor Seiyefa Brisibe, Bayelsa State Commissioner for Health.
Infants, children under 5 years of age, pregnant women and girls, travelers, and people with HIV or AIDS are at higher risk of serious infection.
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