In the middle of an active war, Sudan has launched its national malaria vaccination program — becoming the first country in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region to do so. Beginning in November 2024 C.E., health workers administered doses of the malaria vaccine in 15 localities across Gedaref and Blue Nile states, with more than 148,000 children under 12 months set to benefit in the opening phase.
At a glance
- Malaria vaccine rollout: Sudan received its first consignment of 186,000 doses in October 2024 C.E., with vaccinations beginning in two states before a planned expansion to 129 localities across the country by 2026 C.E.
- Child mortality burden: Malaria kills nearly half a million children under five every year in Africa. Sudan recorded an estimated 7,900 malaria deaths in 2023 C.E. alone — a figure likely undercounted due to the ongoing conflict.
- Immunization coverage collapse: National vaccination coverage dropped from 85 percent before the war to roughly 50 percent overall, and as low as 30 percent in active conflict zones.
Why this matters in wartime Sudan
Sudan is in the grip of one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. More than 70 percent of hospitals in conflict-affected areas are non-operational — damaged, destroyed, stripped of supplies, or repurposed as shelters for displaced families. Frontline health workers have gone months without pay.
Against that backdrop, pulling off a first-ever national vaccine launch is a significant logistical achievement. The Federal Ministry of Health, working with UNICEF, WHO, Gavi, and EMPHENET, trained health workers, developed cold chain capacity, and designed community communication strategies — all while managing the constraints of active conflict.
“Despite enormous challenges, Sudan has taken an important step today to fight the scourge of malaria and protect the population from severe illness and death,” said Dr. Shible Sahbani, WHO Representative to Sudan.
Sudan leads a region
Sudan is among the first 16 African countries to introduce the malaria vaccine, and the first in the entire WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. That distinction matters: the region has historically lagged in malaria vaccine access, and Sudan’s rollout could help build a template for neighboring countries.
The vaccine is recommended for children aged five to 12 months and is expected to reduce both hospital admissions and deaths from the disease. “This vaccine is a critical new tool in our child mortality fighting toolkit,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Sudan.
Sudan carries the highest malaria incidence rates in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. In 2023 C.E., the country recorded an estimated 3.4 million malaria cases. With so many hospitals offline and conflict disrupting treatment pathways, prevention through vaccination becomes even more important than it would be in a stable health system.
The road ahead
The 2024 C.E. launch covers two states. Expansion to 129 localities is planned for 2025 C.E. and 2026 C.E. — a scale-up that will require sustained funding, supply chains, and security access that cannot yet be guaranteed.
An estimated 3.4 million children under five in Sudan remain at high risk from epidemic diseases including measles, cholera, pneumonia, and malaria. The malaria vaccine is one piece of a much larger public health challenge. Routine immunization will need to recover significantly — from its current wartime low of around 50 percent nationally — before child health outcomes can meaningfully improve across the country.
Still, launching any new vaccine program in the middle of a conflict is rare. That Sudan’s health ministry and its partners made it happen — in coordination with global health institutions, amid broken supply chains and security risks — reflects real determination from the people working on the ground. “Together, we are paving the way for a malaria-free Sudan,” said Dr. Heitham Mohamed Ibrahim Awadallah, Sudan’s Federal Minister of Health.
Read more
For more on this story, see: UNICEF Sudan
For more from Good News for Humankind, see:
- Alzheimer’s risk cut in half by drug in landmark prevention trial
- Indigenous land rights advance at COP30: 160 million hectares recognized
- The Good News for Humankind archive on Sudan
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