The federal government says the first phase of malaria vaccination will commence today in Kebbi and Bayelsa states.
National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) said the exercise marks the introduction of the malaria vaccine in the country.
The agency, on its X handle, said the malaria vaccine will now be part of the National Immunization Schedule, offering protection to millions of children and moving the country closer to a malaria-free future.
Earlier last month, the federal government with support from the UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), received delivery of one million doses of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine donated by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Speaking on the initiative, the Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr Muyi Aina, said the vaccine will be administered to children aged five months to 15 months as part of routine immunization.
He said the exercise will be expanded to other states and integrated into the country's national routine immunization schedule, as more doses are received, adding that the second phase will target 19 states and the FCT, while the third phase will target the remaining 15 States in 2025.
The Director of Immunisation and Disease Control, Kebbi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Junaidu Haliru Gwandu said the state targets 595,000 children in the first phase of the malaria vaccination rollout exercise.
WHO Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Walter Mulombo, expressed confidence that the vaccine, in combination with other preventive measures, will drastically reduce the burden of malaria in Nigeria and help move closer to achieving the goal of a malaria-free Africa.
The R21 vaccine was developed by scientists at Oxford University and made by the Serum Institute of India and Novavax. Nigeria is one of the first countries in the world to back the vaccine. Malaria vaccination is only for the prevention of malaria in children, not adults.