The Ministry of Health, Hygiene and Universal Health Coverage in Côte d'Ivoire revealed that approximately 950,000 children between the ages of 6 and 23 months are targeted by a malaria vaccination campaign in Côte d'Ivoire. The same source added, according to local press reports, that the preliminary results of the pilot phase, which included 255,556 children in 38 health zones, were encouraging. Vaccination coverage reached 66 percent for the first dose, 53 percent for the second dose, 44 percent for the third dose, and 26 percent for the fourth dose, completing the vaccination program.
According to the ministry, this new phase of the campaign, which continues until July 24 in 75 health zones across Côte d'Ivoire, aims to ensure collective protection for children between the ages of 6 and 23 months using a complete vaccination protocol consisting of four doses administered at key ages (6, 8, 9, and 15 months).
The campaign, conducted by the Expanded Program on Immunization in collaboration with the National Nutrition Program and the National Malaria Control Program, with support from the World Health Organization and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, will include catch-up immunizations for children between 24 and 59 months of age who have missed their vaccination schedule.
Malaria is a major public health challenge in Côte d'Ivoire, with an incidence rate of 920 cases per 1,000 children under the age of five in 2024, according to official figures.
The same source concluded that this alarming situation is exacerbated by increased resistance to insecticides, which has risen from 25 percent to 80 percent in recent years, reducing the effectiveness of traditional mosquito control methods.
.jpg)
0 Comments