National Primary Healthcare Agency Targets High-Burden States in Ongoing Immunisation Drive
ABUJA, NIGERIA — The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has announced a significant milestone in the country’s fight against malaria, revealing that 202,860 children have been successfully vaccinated against the disease in the states of Kebbi and Bayelsa.
The figure was disclosed by Dr. Rufai Ahmed, Director of Disease and Immunisation at the NPHCDA, during a media briefing held in Abuja on Tuesday.
Targeting High-Burden Areas
Dr. Ahmed explained the strategic rationale behind selecting the initial states for the malaria vaccination campaign.
“We started the malaria vaccination in Kebbi and Bayelsa because those were the states we identified as having a high burden [of malaria]. So far 202,860 children in Kebbi and Bayelsa have been reached with malaria vaccines,” he stated.
The initial success of reaching over 200,000 children underscores the government’s commitment to leveraging the new malaria vaccine as a critical tool for reducing childhood morbidity and mortality caused by the disease. Malaria remains one of the leading causes of death in Nigerian children under five years old.
The NPHCDA’s targeted approach aims to achieve maximum impact by focusing resources on areas where the health risk is most pronounced, paving the way for a potential expansion of the programme to other states in the future.
