Cote d'Ivoire Launches First Malaria Vaccination Drive, Aiming to Protect Children
17:32 16.07.2024 (Updated: 17:42 16.07.2024)
© AFP 2023 SIA KAMBOUWomen queue to have their children vaccinated against malaria during the launch of the vaccination campaign for children from zero to 23 months at La Marie d'Abobo, a popular commune in Abidjan on July 15, 2024.
![Women queue to have their children vaccinated against malaria during the launch of the vaccination campaign for children from zero to 23 months at La Marie d'Abobo, a popular commune in Abidjan on July 15, 2024. Women queue to have their children vaccinated against malaria during the launch of the vaccination campaign for children from zero to 23 months at La Marie d'Abobo, a popular commune in Abidjan on July 15, 2024. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 16.07.2024](https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.africa/img/07e8/07/10/1067523793_0:318:3071:2045_1920x0_80_0_0_23dedc422dbaaf889d6467defbffc309.jpg)
© AFP 2023 SIA KAMBOU
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Globally, malaria caused over 600,000 deaths in 2022, with 95% of those deaths occurring in Africa and 80% in children under five, according to the WHO. Several African countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and the Central African Republic, have already approved the vaccine, while countries such as Cameroon have begun vaccination.
Cote d'Ivoire has embarked on its first nationwide vaccination campaign against malaria, a major public health concern in the country. The initiative, launched on Monday, aims to protect children from the mosquito-borne disease, which claims the lives of four people daily, including three children under the age of five.
The Ministry of Health has included the anti-malarial vaccine in the national vaccination calendar for children after receiving 656,600 doses at the end of June. Four doses will be administered free of charge at six, eight, nine, and 15 months of age.
"This decision marks a significant step forward in protecting our children against this disease," said Health Minister Pierre Dimba.
While malaria mortality has decreased among children under five in Cote d'Ivoire, from 49 per 100,000 in 2018 to 19 per 100,000 in 2021, it remains a significant threat, according to health officials.
"In Ivory Coast, although the number of people dying from malaria has fallen significantly, the incidence has increased in the general population but also in children under the age of 5," said Fatim Tall, WHO representative in Cote d'Ivoire.