Copyright times
By Pemphero Malimba & Bertha Banda: At least 18,000 doses out of about 26,000 doses of mpox vaccine have been administered to people who are at higher risk of being affected by the disease in Lilongwe. This transpired during a stakeholders’ meeting which was organised by the Lilongwe District Health Office (LL DHO) Monday. The 26,000 doses are part of the 33,000 doses of vaccines which the World Health Organisation recently supported Malawi with. Out of about 138 confirmed cases of the disease, as registered across the country by October 22, 2025, 111 have been registered in Lilongwe alone. LL DHO Communications officer Richard Mvula said the vaccine was being administered through a 10- day initiative that would see all the 26,000 doses— which the office received out of the 33,000 doses— administered across the district. “This is a targeted campaign; we are looking at people who are at higher risk. Usually, we are looking at healthcare workers because anyone who is sick will come to a facility. The second group we are targeting are contacts, who are the people who were caring for people who have been diagnosed of diseases. They include relatives, spouses and also anyone who is in contact with the affected person. We are also looking at high-risk groups such as female sex workers,” he said. The office started administering the vaccine on October 14 this year. “We are now close to 60 percent coverage,” Mvula said. The office is conducting the exercise in collaboration with partners such as Pakachere Institute for Health and Development Communication, whose drop-in centre manager Samuel Sibuni said, apart from supporting vaccination interventions, the organisation was working with the district health office to counter the future spread of the disease. The country registered the first case of the disease in April this year. In Ntcheu District, the Human Papillomavirus vaccination campaign started on a high note Monday. There was high turnout on the first day, with girls eagerly queuing to receive their doses. While some have already been vaccinated, others expressed joy as they awaited their turn. Head teacher for one of the schools, Romano Chilango, said the school was targeting more than 500 learners aged between nine and 18 years to be vaccinated over two days. “The process has been made easier after health personnel attended a Parent-Teacher Association meeting last Thursday to educate parents on the importance of the vaccination exercise. Parents were able to ask questions and get clear answers, which helped build confidence and acceptance,” Chilango said. Deputy head teacher for Bangala Primary School Christine Patisio said the vaccination exercise had started well. “Both parents and learners have warmly welcomed the exercise,” Patisio said. Ntcheu District Hospital Chief Preventive Health Officer Bosco Kaluwa said the district is targeting 85,234 girls aged between nine and 18. Kaluwa said the figure includes girls who missed the vaccine during the 2019 campaign and have now reached the eligible age. “We will continue using community announcements and outreach programmes to spread messages about the benefits of vaccination,” he said. Before the rollout, the Ntcheu District Health Office engaged local leaders, parents, and schools to raise awareness and ensure the campaign’s success. The exercise, which started on October 27, 2025, is scheduled to end Wednesday.
