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It's the jab that's been nearly forty years in the making ...
The first batch of more than 300,000 doses have been distributed to more 42 vaccine centres across the country and free of charge to children under six months old.
The national campaign comes after a successful pilot phase in Kenya, Ghana and Malawi that saw a 13% drop in malaria deaths.
Katie O'Brien is the World Health Organisation's vaccine direction... she say they intend to reach about 6.6 million children across the continent over the next two years
“The scale up of the malaria vaccine through strong and established platforms for immunisation, is projected to save tens of thousands of lives each year. Now, this is based on clinical trial data. The malaria vaccines have been shown to reduce clinical malaria cases by more than half in the year after vaccination, and that level of efficacy goes up when the vaccine is provided seasonally.”
Every year 600,000 people die of malaria in Africa ... and children under the age of five account for at least 80 per cent of those deaths.
But for Cameroonian mother Audrey Stella, it's the first time she's heard about the vaccine.
"I didn't know it existed. I think we haven't talked about it. If we talk about it everywhere, maybe in the media, door to door, if people are informed, it will mean that by coming, we are already prepared.”
Fears around the safety of the dose saw her leave the clinic without vaccinating her daughter.
Local nurses like Assako Nadesh fear a lack of knowledge will see more parents like Audrey afraid to consent to their children recieving the dose.
“I think it's regrettable. I really wished that there was more widespread awareness. I would have liked more noise to be made about it so that even in vaccination centers they talk about it more. When mothers are not informed, they are afraid. With the rumors that circulate outside with each new vaccine, they are a bit hesitant.”
Cameroon will use a recently approved malaria vaccine, endorsed by the World Health Organization.
Doctor Shalom Ndoula is the Head of the Cameroon government's Extended Malaria Program want local parent to trust the experts behind the vaccine.
“Its adverse effects (vaccines) have been studied for over nine years. The most frequently reported side effects of the malaria vaccine are fever, swelling at the injection site and irritability, which are minor and transient.”
Deaths from malaria had been in decline until the Covid pandemic saw disruptions to essential malaria services.
World Health Organisation local Dr. Dorothy Achu say decreasing numbers again is a top priority.
“The deaths are reducing, but they really remain higher than the pre-COVID-19 pandemic values, meaning that countries have not yet completely recovered from disruptions of many of their services.”
Parents are advised to their kids get four doses ... with second vaccine is expected to be rolled out later this year.
