“On World Malaria Day, Mali’s Ministry of Health, with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO), launched a first-of-its-kind malaria vaccine delivery approach, aiming to reach children aged 5 to 36 months. The country becomes the 20th in Africa to introduce the malaria vaccine into its routine immunization programme with support from Gavi. Providing malaria vaccine doses seasonally is a strategic approach, as it aligns the period of highest vaccine protection with the period of highest malaria risk, and evidence, including research from Mali, shows it maximizes impact. The R21/Matrix-M vaccine will initially be rolled out in 19 priority districts across five regions: Kayes, Koulikoro, Mopti, Ségou and Sikasso. The country currently has 927,800 R21/Matrix-M vaccines for introduction.”From World Health Organization.