Nigeria set to receive first shipment of malaria vaccines

Nigeria is set to receive its first shipment of the highly anticipated malaria vaccines on Thursday (today), marking a significant step in the country’s fight against one of its deadliest diseases.

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) announced on Wednesday, that the vaccines would be received in Abuja by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate.

The arrival of the vaccines is an initiative by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to distribute malaria vaccines to high-burden countries across Africa, including Nigeria.

The NPHCDA stated that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the country would officially unveil the malaria vaccines on Thursday to help protect children from the life-threatening disease

Nigeria will be the third African country to introduce the vaccine, following Ghana and Kenya, which began using the vaccine in 2023, as the goal is to reduce malaria prevalence to below 10 percent and malaria-related deaths to fewer than 50 per 1,000 people by 2025.