To strengthen the fight against malaria, the Nigerien government accepted Wednesday in the Council of Ministers the introduction of the RTS / S / AS01 vaccine in children under 5 years old as part of the routine vaccination program, according to an official press release. .
“In view of the convincing results from the tests, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the use of this vaccine, discovered in 1984, in children under 5 years of age in addition to other interventions to fight against this disease. “, said the statement of the government.
The text specifies that the use of the RTS / S / AS01 vaccine allows the reduction of “60% of simple malaria, 70% of severe malaria, 60% of blood transfusions, 70% of deaths due to malaria, 50% of deaths all combined causes excluding injury and surgery”.
In Niger, 4,249,208 cases of malaria were recorded in health facilities in 2021, with 4,170 deaths, according to the Minister of Public Health, Illiassou Idi Maïnassara.