Largest Malaria Vaccine Roll-out Launches

The Republic of Uganda's Ministry of Health today confirmed it is the 19th country in Africa to introduce an approved malaria vaccine into routine immunisation.

The R21/Matrix-M™ vaccine includes Novavax AB's proprietary saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant, will initially target 1.1 million children under two years in 105 high- and moderate-transmission districts across Uganda, with plans to expand nationwide.

About 2.278 million doses of malaria vaccines were distributed.

As of April 2, 2025, a malaria vaccination campaign was launched in Apac District, northern Uganda, with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Alliance partners UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), PATH, and CHAI.

The Minister of Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero, commented in a GAVI press release, “The vaccine's introduction marks a significant milestone in our fight against malaria. It is expected to prevent at least 800 cases of severe malaria among children daily and ease the financial burden on families, saving them approximately UGX 15,000 per case that would have been spent on treating severe malaria."

According to the WHO, despite the expenditure of $4 billion per year, malaria deaths and cases have not substantially changed over the last decade. An estimated 263 million malaria cases and 597,000 related fatalities occurred worldwide in 2023.

Recently, Uganda's tourism sector has experienced a significant increase, with thousands of international visitors arriving monthly.

As of April 2025, malaria vaccines are not offered in the United States.