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Amudat district registers high Malaria vaccine uptake
By Timothy Eudo and Musinguzi Goodluck 
Health authorities in Amudat district have reported very positive uptake of the recently launched malaria vaccination campaign. According to the authorities, the community was very positive, leading to the exhaustion of the first batch of the vaccines.
The district Health Officer, Dr. Andrew Munerya attributed the positive response to the hard work by all district stakeholders during mobilization. He said the district received over 3000 vaccine doses which have been used up.
Dr. Munerya said they have so far received a second consignment which is being rolled out as well and still the communities are welcoming it. He said during the process, the district has as well not registered any complaints concerning side effects.
Chepoisho Margaret, one of the mother’s at Karita trading centre said ever since her son received the vaccine, he has been very healthy and has not had any ailments again. Chepoisho thanked the government for the initiative and requested that they be provided with more mosquito nets since it is a rainy season and chances of getting malaria are high.
Another mother who only identified herself as Powon from Amudat town says she was hesitant to take her 8 month old daughter for vaccination but when most of her neighbors did, she got encouraged to do the same. She said mothers should be sensitized most often on the benefits of these vaccines while they visit health facilities so that they may not be deceived.
In Amudat district, the 2024 malaria prevalence rate was below the national target range of <25.6% and has therefore seen a decline in malaria incidence, with incidence rates below 154 cases per 1,000 people. It was one of the few districts where malaria incidence rates did not significantly increase, according to the Malaria Consortium. Amudat also received IRS (Indoor Residual Spraying) with Actellic between December 11, 2023, and January 10, 2024, as part of broader interventions to control malaria.
The Ministry of Health, with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) and alliance partners, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), PATH and CHAI launched the malaria vaccination campaign in Apac District, last month. This makes Uganda the 19th country in Africa to introduce the malaria vaccine into routine immunisation and it is the largest vaccine rollout to date in terms of target districts and population.
The R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine, administered in four doses at 6, 7, 8, and 18 months, will initially target 1.1 million children under two years in 105 high and moderate transmission districts across Uganda, with plans to expand nationwide.
Malaria is the leading cause of illness and death among young children in Uganda, responsible for up to 40% of all outpatient visits, 25% of hospital admissions and 14% of all hospital deaths, according to a 2022 data from WHO. In 2023, Uganda was among the top five African countries with the highest malaria burden, alongside Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and Mozambique.
