Nigeria will be one of the first countries to roll out the new malaria vaccine after receiving the first batch of 846,200 doses.
The R21 vaccine, developed by scientists at the University of Oxford in the UK, was manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and Novavax.
Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Muhammad Ali Pate, said the doses were an important milestone in the country’s efforts to eradicate malaria.
Mosquitoes, which spread disease through their bites, breed in water and are especially abundant during the rainy season.
Malaria remains a major public health challenge in Nigeria, affecting approximately 97 percent of the population.
The country is the most affected country in the world, accounting for 31% of global deaths from the disease, according to the World Health Organization.
The Ministry of Health says the vaccines procured in partnership with the international vaccine alliance Gavi will be freely administered.
The pilot will begin in the two states with the highest malaria burden, Kebbi in the north and Bayelsa in the coastal region, and will then be expanded across the country.
The remaining 153,800 doses are expected to be added in the country on October 26, bringing the number of available vaccines to 1 million.
