Health authorities in South Sudan’s Lakes State launched a new malaria vaccine and a second dose of measles vaccine on Wednesday, aiming to reduce high child mortality rates from the diseases.
The malaria vaccine, known as R21, will be administered in four doses to children starting at 5 months old, with the final dose given at 18 months.
The measles second dose will also be given at the 18-month mark. The initiative is part of a national scale-up after a successful introduction in other counties last year.
“We have been making a lot of interventions… but the infection rate for malaria cases is still very high,” said Dr. Ezekiel Mourwel Maker, a representative of the state health ministry. “We need to protect children from malaria by giving vaccine.”
Malaria is a leading cause of illness and death in the state and across South Sudan. From January to July of this year, Lakes State recorded 64,374 malaria cases and 61 deaths, according to ministry data.
Health officials emphasized that the vaccine is a preventive tool, not a cure, and must be combined with other measures like insecticide-treated bed nets and early treatment.
“This vaccine is part of the comprehensive control strategy for prevention of malaria. It will not be a cure,” said Dr. Achai Deng Biong of the World Health Organization in Lakes State. She urged parents to ensure their children receive all four doses for maximum protection.
The vaccines will be available free of charge as part of the routine immunization program at health facilities across the state, supported by UNICEF, WHO, and other partners.
Stephen Mathiang Deng, the state minister of cabinet affairs, praised the national government and health partners for the rollout. “Immunization is more important than the treatment,” he said, encouraging communities to take their children to be vaccinated.