Malaria Vaccine Introduction in Cameroon: Early Results 30 Days into Rollout

Abstract

Cameroon introduced the malaria vaccine in its routine immunization program on 22 January 2024 in the 42 districts out of 200 that are among the most at risk of malaria. A cross-sectional analysis of the data on key vaccine events in the introduction roadmap and the vaccine uptake during the first 30 days was conducted. In addition to available gray literature related to the introduction of the malaria vaccine, data on the malaria vaccine uptake by vaccination session, collected through a digital platform, were analyzed. A total of 1893 reports were received from 22 January 2024 to 21 February 2024 from 766 health facilities (84% of overall completeness). Two regions out of ten recorded less than 80% completeness. As of 21 February 2024, 13,811 children had received the first dose of the malaria vaccine, including 7124 girls (51.6%) and 6687 boys (48.4%). In total, 36% of the children were vaccinated through outreach sessions, while 61.5% were vaccinated through sessions in fixed posts. The overall monthly immunization coverage with the first dose was 37%. Early results have shown positive attitudes towards and acceptance of malaria vaccines. Suboptimal completeness of data reporting and a low coverage highlight persistent gaps and challenges in the vaccine rollout.