Liberia’s Minister of Health Dr. Louise Kpoto tells Members of the House of Representatives that Liberia has received 88,780 of 112,000 vials of the malaria vaccine as part of the World Health Organization’s initiative to introduce routine immunization programs for malaria in Africa.
She said the remaining vials of the first-ever approved malaria vaccine to be introduced are expected to arrive in July 2024.
“Liberia was allotted 112,000 doses of Malaria vaccines but, in January 2024, only received 88,780 vials while the remaining 44,390 vials are expected in July 2024,” Kpoto told members of the House of Representatives on Thursday, April 4.
This allocation is part of the WHO’s Malaria Vaccine Implementation Program, benefitting 12 African countries, including Liberia. The vaccines aim to address the high incidence of malaria-related illness and death, particularly among children in Africa.
The Health Ministry has prioritized six Southeastern counties for the malaria vaccine rollout, with children aged 0-23 months being targeted across 39 districts in these counties.
According to the ministry, these counties are the first target because of the high increased in malaria cases. They also assured the honorable lawmakers that other the other nine counties will follow in 2025, while displaying the processes leading to the vaccination.
The Ministry of Health of Liberia, in collaboration with GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO, and UNICEF, on January 23, announced the arrival of the RTS malaria vaccine — the first ever in Liberia.
