645,000 Malaria Vaccines Delivered to South Sudan

In a historic step towards mitigating the high incidence of malaria in South Sudan, the first consignment of the R21/Matrix-M™ vaccine malaria vaccine recently arrived in Juba.

The Ministry of Health received over 645,000 doses, which will be distributed to 28 counties.

South Sudan is grappling with one of the highest malaria incidence rates in the African region. In 2022, South Sudan had an estimated 2.8 million cases and 6,680 deaths.

“We are committed to reducing the impact of malaria and improving the health outcomes for our children,” said Honourable Yolanda Awel Deng, Minister of Health, in a UNICEF press release on May 31, 2024,

“The continued use of this vaccine, alongside other preventive measures such as insecticide-treated bed nets and timely access to medical care, will be instrumental in our efforts to eliminate malaria in South Sudan.”

With support from Gavi, UNICEF is working to procure enough malaria vaccines to immunize over 45 million children worldwide in the coming years.

As of June 3, 2024, malaria vaccines are not offered in the United States.