Gambia launches five-day malaria vaccination campaign
Banjul, Gambia(PANA) - The Gambia’s Malaria Control Programme Monday launched a five-day vaccination campaign in the Central River Region (CRR) targeting at least 39, 468 kids aged 3-59 month, an official source said here.
“We are at least targeting 39,468 kids and we are covering both CRR North and CRR South which is about 6, 69 villages,” said Baba Galleh Jallow, regional health director.
“Central River Region and Upper River Region is a hotspot for malaria, especially the under-5 years; we want to make sure that kids are protected very well,” he said.
Jallow welcomed the campaign since its start four years ago, saying the vaccine prevention has greatly reduced malaria prevalence in his region.
“Since we started this program four years ago we have seen a remarkable improvement as far as the under 5-year-old malaria kids is concern and as we are talking we are less than 1 percent prevalence in this region.”
But he spoke about challenges they faced in giving out the vaccine to communities in his region such as lack of mobility and good road network to reach various vulnerable communities.
Kerr Ousman Boye village will be the first point of call for the team giving out the malaria vaccine – about a kilometer to the southern region of Senegal where almost all the villagers are farmers.
He said the malaria prevalence had drastically cut down thanks to the chemoprevention vaccine.
-0- PANA MSS/RA 30Jul2019
