Strong uptake for malaria vaccine across Uganda – Ministry of Health

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As Uganda joins the global community to commemorate World Malaria Day, the Ministry of Health confirmed that the country’s malaria vaccination campaign is progressing smoothly across all 107 high-burden districts, with everyone welcoming it with open arms.

The mass rollout of the malaria vaccine began on April 2, in Apac district, northern Uganda—an area notorious for having the highest number of mosquito bites per person globally, with over 1,500 bites annually.

Speaking to New Vision today, Dr Jimmy Opigo, the malaria control programme manager at the Ministry of Health, confirmed that the vaccination exercise is going on well across the targeted districts.

“We’ve had no complaints or reported side effects so far,” he said. “The most significant potential side effect is convulsion, but we’ve not seen or heard of any cases from our surveillance teams. We received over two million doses, which we believe will last us a year.”

Dr Opigo urged parents and caregivers in malaria-prone regions to take their children to health centres offering immunisation services. Children aged 6, 7, and 8 months are currently eligible to receive the vaccine, while those aged 18 months will receive their doses next year.

He also dismissed claims that the vaccine being administered is still under trial. “This is a fully approved vaccine. It has already been introduced in 19 other countries. Uganda is the 20th, and we are the first to start with such a large batch. That shows how committed we are to protecting our people. Malaria kills 16 Ugandans every day—we want to eliminate it entirely,” Dr Opigo emphasised.

He further clarified that the introduction of the vaccine does not replace other malaria prevention strategies.

“We will continue distributing insecticide-treated nets and supporting other anti-malaria programmes. The vaccine is an addition, not a replacement.”

At the launch event in Apac district, the Minister of Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero, described the introduction of the vaccine as a “game-changer”.

“The vaccine is expected to prevent at least 800 cases of severe malaria among children every day,” she said. “It will ease the financial burden on families, saving them approximately sh15,000 per case that would have been spent on treatment. I urge all parents and caregivers to ensure that children aged 6 to 18 months receive the vaccine at the nearest health facility. For maximum protection, it is crucial that children complete all four doses on schedule.”

The malaria vaccine being used in Uganda is administered in four doses—at 6, 7, 8, and 18 months of age. The initial phase of the rollout targets 1.5 million children under two years of age in 105 high- and moderate-transmission districts, with plans to expand nationwide.

The campaign is supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, PATH, and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI). 

In October 2023, WHO approved a second malaria vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, to complement the existing RTS,S vaccine and help increase supply. Both vaccines are part of a broader strategy to curb malaria transmission in high-risk regions.

Malaria remains a major public health threat in Uganda, killing 16 people daily, and across sub-Saharan Africa. According to the WHO’s 2024 World Malaria Report, released in December last year, there were an estimated 263 million malaria cases globally in 2023, resulting in 597,000 deaths.

Africa bore the brunt of the impact, accounting for 94% of global malaria cases and 95% of deaths. The continent reported 246 million infections in 2023 alone. More than half of these occurred in just five countries: Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Mozambique.

Uganda’s malaria statistics are sobering. In 2023, malaria accounted for 33% of all outpatient visits, 22% of hospital admissions, and 6% of all deaths. The disease continues to disproportionately affect children and pregnant women. An estimated 12.4 million pregnant women in 33 high-risk African countries contracted malaria in 2023, with targeted interventions credited for preventing over 550,000 cases of low birth weight.