Suboptimal uptake of the malaria vaccine in Sudan: what's behind the blinds?

Abstract

The suboptimal uptake of the malaria vaccine was not attributed to vaccine hesitancy or behavioral and social determinants, but rather to limited educational efforts and a lack of focus on the malaria vaccine as a new intervention. Reviewing the communication strategy and addressing health system barriers might help achieve the vaccine targets set by the Ministry of Health. Furthermore, assessing vaccine acceptability and identifying the enabling and inhibiting factors for vaccination before introducing the malaria vaccine in addition to engagement of higher authorities will lead to better vaccine uptake. Further research to test the effectiveness of culturally tailored communication interventions and the use of reminders or small incentives to raise the uptake is highly needed.