By: Adama Makasuba
Malaria Control Program has launched a five days Malaria vaccination prevention program in the Central River Region courtesy of Malaria Control Program which is targeting at least 39, 468 kids between 3-59 month olds.
Baba Galleh Jallow, regional health director for CRR said “We are at least targeting 39, 468 kids and we are covering both CRR North and CRR South which about 6, 69 villages.
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.”
Mr. Jallow welcomed the campaign since its start four years ago saying the vaccine prevention has greatly reduce 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 correlated the challenges faced with them during giving out the vaccine to communities in his region to lack of mobility and good road network to reach various vulnerable communities.
Kerr Ousman Boye was the first stop point for the team giving out the malaria vaccine – about a kilometer to the southern region of Senegal where almost the villagers are farmers.
And Gibel Boye- the village health worker said “we have seen the impact of the vaccine since we began benefitting it.”
He said the malaria prevalence has drastically cut down thanks to the chemoprevention vaccine.
Yama Surr was a beneficial kid of the vaccine and her grandmother Kaddy Sallah and Ebrima Baldeh father of two beficiary kids at Sarre Futa both expressed delight about the vaccine that it has help their kids get rid of malaria.