On April 16, 2024, ICAP presented the April Grand Rounds – Malaria Vaccine Implementation in Sierra Leone.

Malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Sierra Leone. Specifically, the disease accounts for 37.6 percent of hospitalizations. In addition to existing national malaria control efforts, including dissemination of insecticide-treated bed nets, intermittent preventive treatment for infants and pregnant women, and indoor residual spraying, the government of Sierra Leone is introducing malaria vaccines for children under two years old in April 2024. Experts from the Ministry of Health and UNICEF discussed introduction strategies and experiences, successes, and lessons learned on the journey to malaria vaccine implementation.

Presenters

Desmond Maada Kangbai, Program Manager, Expanded Program on Immunization, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Government of Sierra Leone
Desmond Maada Kangbai is a medical doctor and a field epidemiologist working for the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS), Government of Sierra Leone. He is the program manager of the Expanded Program on Immunization. As the head of immunization services, Kangbai is responsible for overseeing the country’s vaccination programs and ensuring that they are accessible to all Sierra Leoneans. He specifically leads a pilot approach to vaccination that seeks to assess – and address – an entire household’s vaccination needs at once. In addition to his role for the MoHS, he is an associate lecturer at Njala University College. He aims to guide policymaking that would improve vaccine uptake within Sierra Leone and other low and middle-income countries.

Baboucarr Boye, Immunization Specialist, UNICEF
Baboucarr Boye is an immunization specialist at UNICEF. For over a decade, he worked as a senior program officer at the National Immunization Programme of the Ministry of Health in Gambia. In addition, he worked as a consultant for the WHO country office in Liberia, where he spearheaded the development and implementation of a national immunization plan. Boye has now worked with various UNICEF immunization programs since 2015, including in offices in Gambia, South Sudan, and Sierra Leone. In Sierra Leone, he provides guidance to the overall planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the national immunization program through collaboration with in-country partners.