Yesterday, 2 April, marked a pivotal step forward for child health: almost 2.3 million doses of malaria vaccines are due to be distributed across Uganda.
Yesterday, 2 April, marked a pivotal step forward for child health: almost 2.3 million doses of malaria vaccines are due to be distributed across Uganda.
This initial phase will target 105 districts with high and moderate malaria transmission rates, laying the groundwork for broader distribution. The country has secured a total of 3.5 million doses, with plans to expand coverage in subsequent phases.
"The malaria vaccine is a major milestone in the fight against the disease, turning malaria into a vaccine-preventable disease," says Dr. Jimmy Opigo, Assistant Commissioner for Health Services at the National Malaria Control Division. "For the 5-10 percent of the population that could have their malaria turn into severe malaria, especially non-immune children under five, it's a matter of life and death and the vaccine is now handy to prevent such life-threatening situations among this group. When complemented with other existing tools, we hope to have a major impact on the malaria burden."
As of April 2025, the malaria vaccine is being introduced into the routine immunisation schedule, targeting children below two years of age. The first vaccinations took place in Apac, northern Uganda -- described as the district with the largest number of mosquito bites in the world. The rollout will provide crucial relief in a country where malaria remains the leading cause of illness and death of young children; 20,000 children under five die from malaria every year in Uganda.
Malaria Consortium will play a key role in assisting with the rollout, as part of the SEND-Malaria Vaccine Initiative. Through this project, Malaria Consortium is providing assistance to the Ministry of Health in Uganda, as well as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Uganda's National Malaria Control Division; the Uganda Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI); UNICEF; and the World Health Organization (WHO).
"Malaria Consortium is proud to support the Ministry of Health in the rollout of malaria vaccines in Uganda, a milestone in the fight against malaria. Our role includes strengthening health systems, facilitating community engagement to build vaccine confidence and ensuring equitable access -- particularly in hard-to-reach areas like Karamoja," says Anthony Nuwa, Senior Country Technical Coordinator at Malaria Consortium Uganda. "By working closely with local health authorities and communities, we are committed to making this life-saving intervention available to those who need it most, helping to reduce the burden of malaria and protect vulnerable populations across the country." Community acceptability is critical to the vaccine's success, as widespread trust and uptake are necessary to achieve meaningful reductions in malaria cases. In Karamoja, Malaria Consortium has conducted sensitisation work to ready the public, including training healthcare workers in communication to address vaccine hesitancy and mobilising communities to create demand for the vaccine. These key messages will form part of a public awareness campaign aimed at reaching over one million people in Karamoja -- approximately 80 percent of the region's population.
"[A]t any given opportunity we need to encourage caretakers and guardians to visit any of the facilities so that they can receive the malaria vaccine, but also other routine immunisation products -- and not to forget that other interventions are still key," says Dr Annet Kisakye, WHO's National Professional Officer for Routine Immunization. "Because if we have that complete package, then we will be able to reduce the impact of the malaria disease in this country."
Malaria Consortium has been actively supporting the Ministry of Health to develop communication materials for the malaria vaccine, facilitating their translation into Karamojong languages to ensure accessibility and community understanding. In addition, Malaria Consortium assisted the Ministry of Health to conduct district entry meetings at the end of March to further strengthen local engagement. In April, Malaria Consortium is also carrying out health facility and community health worker training at the sub-county level to equip frontline workers with the necessary knowledge and skills to administer the vaccines.
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An important component of the rollout involves its integration with Uganda's seasonal malaria chemoprevention campaign to ensure a streamlined and effective implementation approach. Previous research has indicated that a combined approach leads to increased protection against malaria for young children.
Uganda's malaria vaccine rollout marks a major step in the fight against the disease, aiming to protect millions of young children. If successful, it could be a turning point in the country's battle against malaria. Sustained commitment to vaccine access, community engagement and broader malaria control efforts will be essential to ensure lasting progress.
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