Health Minister Benjamin Hounkpatin announced that Benin Republic has received its first shipment of the RTS,S vaccine, which is aimed at combating malaria, the leading cause of death among children under five in the country.
The government officially received 215,900 doses of the vaccine at Cotonou airport. The first vaccinations are expected to begin within a few months. In Benin, malaria is responsible for 40 percent of outpatient consultations and 25 percent of hospital admissions.
The vaccine is expected to immunize approximately 200,000 children under the age of two. Benin is the third African country to receive the vaccine, following Cameroon and Sierra Leone. The pilot phase of the vaccine was conducted in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi, resulting in a significant decline in mortality and severe cases of malaria.
According to the World Health Organization, a child under the age of five dies from malaria almost every minute. The disease remains a major problem due to its resistance to treatment, and Africa is the most affected continent, accounting for 95 percent of cases and 96 percent of deaths.
