Sierra Leone Launches Nationwide Malaria Vaccination Campaign for Children

Sierra Leone has commenced a large-scale campaign to vaccinate children nationwide against malaria, aiming to protect them from the country’s leading cause of death. 

With support from UNICEF and GAVI, over 550,000 doses of the WHO-recommended RTS,S vaccine are being distributed. 

Malaria is a significant health challenge in Sierra Leone, resulting in over two million hospital visits annually, with children under five accounting for one million cases. This preventable disease also contributes to 25 percent of child deaths in the country. 

Additionally, in collaboration with development partners, thousands of homes have recently received over two million treated bed nets to further combat malaria transmission.