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Ph:DR: Malaria vaccine: Benin receives 215,900 doses to reduce infant mortality
Benin marks significant progress in the fight against malaria, the leading cause of death among children under five years old nationally. On the evening of Monday January 15, 2024, on the tarmac of the Cardinal Bernardin Gantin international airport in Cotonou, the first doses of anti-malaria vaccines intended for children under two years old were received by the Minister of Health, Professor Benjamin HOUNKPATIN and the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System. It was in the presence of the Resident Representative of UNICEF in Benin, the WHO representative as well as the Director General of the National Agency for Primary Health Care.
In total, 215,900 doses of malaria vaccine were received, making Benin the fourth country to receive doses of RTS,S vaccines after Cameroon, Sierra Leone and Burkina-Faso. This delivery will allow Benin to begin administering the anti-malaria vaccine to children under two years of age in the coming weeks.
For the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Benin, Mr. Salvator NIYONZIMA, the introduction of the malaria vaccine in the expanded immunization program (EPI) will significantly contribute to the reduction of serious cases and especially child deaths linked to malaria.
Following him, the Minister of Health, Professor Benjamin HOUNKPATIN, indicates that the official receipt of the first doses of the malaria vaccine marks a boost in the fight against this disease, in particular to reduce the child mortality rate. He encourages people, especially parents, to vaccinate their children against malaria to protect them against this deadly disease. The Minister added that the introduction of the vaccine into the EPI will promote the overall improvement of the health and well-being of women, newborns, children and adolescents. He also stressed that the introduction of the vaccine does not cancel out other measures already implemented such as cleanliness, mosquito nets, etc.
