vaccines
The government of Benin announced that it had received the first dose of the vaccine against malaria, the leading cause of child mortality, on Monday evening, January 16.
About 215,900 first doses of malaria vaccine were received by the government on Monday evening at Cotonou International Airport.
“The introduction of the malaria vaccine in the expanded vaccination program is a major step forward in the fight against the disease in Benin,” the Beninese minister of health indicated, adding that its administration in high-endemic areas would make it possible to control the disease. And saves thousands of lives every year.
The first vaccination is planned “in a few months”, he added
According to the minister, in Benin, 40% of outpatient consultations and 25% of hospital admissions are related to malaria.
The vaccine received will be used to vaccinate “about 200,000 children” under the age of two in the country.
As a reminder, Benin is the third country to receive malaria vaccine doses after Cameroon and Sierra Leone following a pilot phase coordinated by the World Health Organization and funded by the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. Global Fund and United.
(tags translation t)vaccine
