“On World Malaria Day, Mali’s Ministry of Health, with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO), launched a first-of-its-kind malaria vaccine delivery approach, aiming to reach children aged 5 to 36 months.

The country becomes the 20th in Africa to introduce the malaria vaccine into its routine immunization programme with support from Gavi. It is the first globally to implement a hybrid approach to vaccine delivery: providing the first three doses monthly throughout the year based on age, followed by the fourth and fifth doses given seasonally in May or June of the following years, before the high malaria transmission season starts. Providing malaria vaccine doses seasonally is a strategic approach, as it aligns the period of highest vaccine protection with the period of highest malaria risk, and evidence, including research from Mali, shows it maximizes impact. 

The R21/Matrix-M vaccine will initially be rolled out in 19 priority districts across five regions: Kayes, Koulikoro, Mopti, Ségou and Sikasso. The country currently has 927,800 R21/Matrix-M vaccines for introduction.”

From World Health Organization.

“In the late 1990s, world leaders laid the foundation for remarkable progress in global malaria control, including preventing more than 2 billion cases of malaria and nearly 13 million deaths since 2000.

To date, WHO has certified 45 countries and 1 territory as malaria-free, and many countries with a low burden of malaria continue to move steadily towards the goal of elimination. Of the remaining 83 malaria-endemic countries, 25 reported fewer than 10 cases of the disease in 2023…

Years of investment in the development and deployment of new malaria vaccines and next-generation tools to prevent and control malaria are paying off.

On World Malaria Day, Mali will join 19 other African countries in introducing malaria vaccines—a vital step towards protecting young children from one of the continent’s most deadly diseases. The large-scale rollout of malaria vaccines in Africa is expected to save tens of thousands of young lives every year.

Meanwhile, the expanded use of a new generation of insecticide-treated nets is poised to lower the disease burden. According to the latest World malaria report, these new nets—which have greater impact against malaria than the standard pyrethroid-only nets—accounted for nearly 80% of all nets delivered in sub-Saharan Africa in 2023, up from 59% the previous year.”

From World Health Organization.

“Figures released by UNICEF indicate that Burundi’s under-five mortality rates have significantly declined, from 143 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2002, to 50 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022. UNICEF and World Health Organization statistics, meanwhile, show that Burundi’s immunisation coverage – using coverage with the third dose of the basic diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus-containing vaccine (DTP3) as a proxy for coverage in general – rose from 81% to 91% in that same time-frame.

Child mortality attributed to vaccine-preventable disease in Burundi stood at 1,430 deaths in the year 2014, versus in the year 2024, in which the country recorded just 265 fatalities linked to vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs).”

From Gavi.

“Gumbo, the [Lake Region Economic Block] health pillar lead, reports that the vaccine, alongside other existing malaria interventions, has helped all-cause mortality among children to drop in this region.

He says that while the counties are yet to release official data on the same, statistics from hospitals within have shown a great reduction of prevalence of severe malaria.

‘We might be having hospitalisation of vaccinated children with malaria, but the severity has reduced, their chances of survival are also higher,’ he said.”

From Gavi.