Digital health interventions and mobile computing for malaria vaccine acceptance and monitoring in African populations

Abstract

The rollout of the RTS,S/AS01 (Mosquirix™) and R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccines represents a historic milestone in Africa’s fight against malaria. Yet, their success depends on two critical elements: sustained adherence to the multi-dose schedule and widespread community acceptance. This review explores how digital health (DH) and mobile computing (mHealth) technologies can enhance vaccine uptake and strengthen post-rollout monitoring in African contexts. It synthesizes evidence on the use of mobile reminders for multi-dose completion, mobile-based adverse event reporting systems, and culturally tailored digital communication for combating misinformation and vaccine hesitancy. Evidence suggests that mobile tools—especially combined voice and SMS interventions—significantly improve vaccination adherence, timeliness, and data quality in low-resource settings. Moreover, AI-driven chatbots, multilingual communication tools, and telehealth platforms can promote trust, real-time safety reporting, and inclusive vaccine literacy. The review concludes that integrating mHealth into malaria vaccine programs could optimize adherence, improve pharmacovigilance, and foster public trust, thereby advancing digital health equity and pandemic resilience in Africa.