JUBA, July 16 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan on Tuesday launched the R21 malaria vaccination campaign across 28 counties in the country's six states.
Yolanda Awel Deng, minister of Health, said the malaria vaccine will target children from 18 months to five years of age in 28 counties in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Warrap, Central Equatoria, Jonglei, and Eastern Equatoria.
"Despite our ongoing efforts, malaria continues to pose a severe threat to our nation. Each year we face an estimated 2.8 million cases and 6,680 deaths, translating to 7,630 cases and 18 deaths daily," Deng said in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
The launch of the vaccination campaign came after the government received 645,000 doses of the R21 malaria vaccine on May 31 from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
The minister noted that malaria continues to burden communities, particularly threatening pregnant women and children under five years of age.
Deng said that the targeted states were selected due to the high malaria prevalence, adding that the ministry aims to vaccinate about 265,897 children in the first round of immunization.
Hamida Lasseko, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative in South Sudan, said the introduction of the malaria vaccine into the routine immunization system places the country among the global pioneers in combating malaria, following in the footsteps of Kenya and Malawi in the sub-Saharan African region.
"Malaria remains a devastating disease, particularly for young children in sub-Saharan Africa; we know that more than 260,000 African children under the age of five die from malaria annually, and South Sudan bears a disproportionate burden with alarmingly high rates of infection and mortality," Lasseko said.
South Sudan is now among the eight African countries on the continent to introduce the malaria vaccine into the routine immunization system.
Lasseko noted that the introduction of the malaria vaccine after nearly six decades of research marks a pivotal breakthrough in the global collective fight against the disease. She added that the malaria vaccine will be used in conjunction with other preventive measures, such as long-lasting insecticidal nets.
Humphrey Karamagi, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative for South Sudan, said Juba still holds one of the highest malaria incidence rates in the whole world.
"These numbers are more than just statistics; they are human beings, and they are people every day whose lives, hopes and futures are being extinguished because of this small vector," Karamagi said.
He noted that the arrival of the first consignment of the R21 malaria vaccine has boosted intervention efforts in the fight against malaria in South Sudan. "As we administer the first dose of the vaccine to a child today, we are not just vaccinating against the disease but instilling hope, protection and a brighter future for all our children in the country," Karamagi said.
The vaccine rollout is expected to significantly reduce the malaria burden and contribute in a big way toward the overall malaria control strategy, said Karamagi, adding that South Sudan will no longer rank among countries with the highest incidence of malaria within the next two years.
