Moses Sentamu 
Minister Aceng displaying a sample of the malaria vaccine at the NMS warehouse in Kajjansi
Vaccination of children below 5 years, against Malaria, is to start in April. This was revealed by Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, the minister for health during the flag off of 2.278 million doses of malaria vaccines to 105 districts.
The malaria vaccine is expected to be introduced into the routine immunisation schedule in April, with the official immunisation kicking off on April 2, in Apac district which is considered to be having the highest prevalence of malaria cases.
The first batch of malaria vaccines was received and subsequently dispatched on Friday, at the National Medical Stores in Kajjansi town council, Wakiso district. The minister was accompanied by Dr. Kasonde Mwinga a representative from the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Robin Nandy a representative from the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) among other officials from the health ministry.
According to Dr. Aceng, the initiative to secure vaccines was made possible by Gavi, with co-financing from the government of Uganda whereas procurement and air freighting was undertaken by UNICEF.
The minister further noted that the vaccine will be applied in four (4) dosages to children at six, seven, eight and eighteen months of age, ensuring optimal protection from malaria during the most vulnerable stages of early childhood.
Dr. Robin Nandy, the UNICEF representative in Uganda said the 2.78 million doses of the vaccine are valued at $8.8m (over sh32b). “Today we celebrate a significant and historic milestone for Uganda in the fight against malaria which remains the leading cause of illness and death among children under five years and is responsible for an estimated 20,000 deaths of children under five years annually,” he remarked.
Dr. Nandy however, urged that the malaria vaccine will complement but not replace the existing malaria preventive measures such as sleeping under treated mosquito nets and destroying mosquito-breeding places. On behalf of UNICEF, Dr. Nandy expressed commitment to further supporting the government of Uganda to enhance immunisation efforts and promote sustainable healthcare solutions, to ensure that all children are reached with life-saving vaccines.
Dr. Kasonde Mwinga, the WHO representative in Uganda said 263 million cases of malaria are registered globally, every year and 600,000 deaths were registered in 2024. “Over 430,000 young African lives are lost each year to malaria,” she intimated. Dr. Kasonde expressed optimism in the introduction of malaria vaccine in Uganda saying, it will build upon a momentum that is going on across the African continent.
“To date, we are happy to say that 17 countries have already introduced this vaccine, reaching over 4 million children. For example, the pilot programmes launched in 2019 in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have demonstrated a 13% reduction in overall child mortality and a significant decrease in hospitalisation for severe malaria,” intimated the WHO boss in Uganda.
Minister Aceng emphasised that malaria is the leading cause of illness and deaths in Uganda, where the country ranks third, with the highest cases in the world, behind Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. “We lose 16 people to malaria everyday, 10 of whom are children,” she remarked. The health minister however, expressed commitment by the government of Uganda to reduce and suppress malaria cases in the country.
Whereas the minister dispatched 2.278 doses of malaria to the districts, there are a total of 3.5 million doses procured. “Uganda is proud to be the nineteenth country in the world to introduce the malaria vaccine and is undertaking the largest roll-out globally,” she expressed.
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