Nigeria launched a new malaria vaccine on Thursday that will be freely administered to recipients, its health minister said, marking a significant milestone in its fight against the deadly disease.
The launch makes the country one of the first in the world to back the new R21 vaccine, developed by scientists at Oxford University and made by the Serum Institute of India and Novavax.
The vaccine was provisionally approved by Nigeria’s medicines regulator in April last year.
Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said Nigeria had received 846,200 doses of the vaccine, procured in partnership with global vaccine group Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and UNICEF. A balance of 153,800 more doses is expected on Oct. 26 to make it a million.
