• Malaria Vaccine Rollout Accelerates in Uganda, Promising Significant Reduction in Cases

  • Apr 7 2025
  • Length: 3 mins
  • Podcast

Malaria Vaccine Rollout Accelerates in Uganda, Promising Significant Reduction in Cases

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  • In the ongoing fight against malaria, significant developments have emerged in the past few days, particularly regarding the rollout and impact of malaria vaccines.

    On April 2, 2025, Uganda launched the largest malaria vaccine introduction to date, targeting 1.1 million children under two years old in 105 high- and moderate-transmission districts across the country. This initiative, supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), PATH, and CHAI, marks Uganda as the 19th African country to integrate the malaria vaccine into its routine immunization program[3].

    The vaccine being administered is the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine, given in four doses at 6, 7, 8, and 18 months. This vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective in preventing malaria in children, with trials indicating it reduces malaria cases by more than half during the first year after vaccination. The vaccine is expected to prevent at least 800 cases of severe malaria among children every day and ease the financial burden on families by saving them approximately UGX 15,000 per case that would have been spent on treating severe malaria[3].

    This rollout is part of a broader global effort to combat malaria. The WHO has recommended two malaria vaccines for use in children living in areas with moderate to high malaria transmission: the RTS,S/AS01 and the R21/Matrix-M vaccines. Both vaccines have been prequalified by the WHO and have demonstrated significant reductions in malaria cases and deaths. The RTS,S vaccine, for instance, has shown a 39% reduction in clinical malaria, a 30% reduction in severe malaria, and a 13% reduction in all-cause mortality in children[2][4].

    The introduction of these vaccines is coordinated by Gavi, which provides financial support for the procurement, transport, and rollout of the doses. As of December 2024, 17 countries in Africa had introduced these vaccines as part of their childhood immunization programs, with additional countries planning to follow suit in 2025. The demand for these vaccines is unprecedented, but the availability of two safe and effective options is expected to meet this demand, potentially saving tens of thousands of young lives every year[4].

    The theme for World Malaria Day 2025, "Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite," underscores the need for continued investment, innovation, collaboration, and commitment in the fight against malaria. This theme aligns with the efforts of organizations like the SMC Alliance, which has been supporting national malaria control programs in rolling out seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) campaigns, protecting millions of children in endemic settings[1].

    These recent developments highlight the significant progress being made in malaria prevention and control, emphasizing the critical role of vaccines and comprehensive control strategies in reducing the burden of this disease.
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