The world's first routine malaria vaccination program launched in Cameroon, media reported.
"For a long time, we have been waiting for a day like this," Mohammed Abdulaziz of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was quoted by the media as saying at a joint online briefing.
The move reportedly sets an example for 19 other countries planning to launch similar programs this year, as stated by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI).
A total of 6.6 million children in these countries are expected to receive malaria vaccinations by 2024-25, the outlet noted.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of malaria cases increased by about 5 million in 2022 compared to 2021, the report said. Every minute, a child under the age of five dies of malaria, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The disease, caused by a parasite transmitted by certain types of mosquitoes, remains a major challenge, primarily because of its growing resistance to available treatments.
Last week, the first doses of the malaria vaccine were delivered to Benin, the third African nation to receive the vaccine after Sierra Leone and Cameroon, following a pilot phase in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi.