The
He said the mosquito-borne parasite that causes the illness is all too common at this
"We went to bed, all was well, everybody was well," Yusuf said. "But toward midnight I heard him shivering. As I touched his body (it was) very hot, so I woke him up."
The
Last week, the global health body announced its approval for the rollout of the world's first malaria vaccine, Mosquirix. The vaccine, made by the pharmaceutical company
The
Walter Kazadi Mulombo is the
"You know before the vaccine could be introduced in the country, it has to be cleared by NAFDAC for the case of
NAFDAC refers to the National Agency for
During a large-scale pilot program that began in 2019, some 2.3 million doses of the vaccine were administered to children in
The
But Mulombo warns there could be supply problems at first.
"There may be some supply issues so it may not be in the quantity we require to reach all those that we need to reach," Mulombo said. "But we understand that GSK, the manufacturer, is working already with some African countries to decentralize production."
Abuja Primary Health Board official, Ndaeyo Iwot, said the new vaccine does not eliminate the need for taking other malaria preventive measures.
"If you don't combine it with sleeping under insecticide treated nets and also taking care of your environment, where the vectors can breed, then you're more likely to continue to have the scourge of malaria in this country," Iwot said.
In the meantime, Nigerian parents like Yusuf said they are hoping to get their children vaccinated as soon as possible.
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