Cameroon has become the first country in the world to start a routine vaccination program against malaria, a disease that kills nearly half a million children under five in Africa every year.
British drugmaker GSK developed the RTS, S vaccine, which the World Health Organization (WHO) approved to work alongside existing tools such as bed nets and insecticides to prevent malaria, a disease transmitted by mosquito bites.
Experts developed the vaccine over a period of about 40 years and successfully tested it in trials conducted in Ghana and Kenya, where it reduced malaria cases by about 40 percent. Cameroon is now the first country to roll it out through its regular immunization system, with 19 other countries expected to follow suit this year, according to global vaccine alliance Gavi.
About 6.6 million children in these countries are targeted for malaria vaccination through 2024-25.
Historical Day
“For a long time, we have been waiting for a day like this,” said Mohammed Abdulaziz of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at a joint online briefing with the WHO, Gavi, and other organizations on Monday.
He said the vaccine was a “game-changer” that could save millions of lives and reduce the burden on health systems and economies in Africa, where 94 percent of the world’s malaria cases and deaths occur.
Caroline Badefona, manager of Cliniques des Anges hospital in Douala, Cameroon’s largest city, said six children aged six months received the vaccine at her hospital on Monday.
“It went very well,” she said. “We are proud to have this program in place because it will eradicate malaria in children aged six to 59 months.”
Challenges and Hopes
However, some health workers reported that they encountered challenges in raising awareness and obtaining consent from parents who were either uninformed about the vaccine or feared side effects.
Audrey Stella, a mother who declined to have her child vaccinated at the Japoma District Hospital in Douala, said she was not aware of the program or its benefits.
The WHO and Gavi are collaborating with local authorities and community leaders to educate and mobilize parents and caregivers to accept the vaccine, which experts have proven to be safe and effective.
They also said they were monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery and uptake of the vaccine, as well as other routine immunizations.
Despite the challenges, health experts expressed hope that the vaccine would help turn the tide against malaria, which has been on the rise in recent years due to factors such as climate change, insecticide resistance, and disruption of prevention and treatment services.
The WHO estimates that there were 229 million malaria cases and 409,000 deaths in 2020, with children under five accounting for 67 percent of the fatalities.
The agency has set a target of reducing malaria cases and deaths by at least 90 percent by 2030 and hopes to see the introduction of a second malaria vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India, later this year.
“Having two vaccines for malaria will help to close the huge gap between demand and supply and could save tens of thousands of young lives, especially in Africa,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, at a meeting of the U.N. body’s executive board on Monday.
He added that the vaccine was also a testament to the power of science and innovation, and a reminder of the need to invest more in research and development for neglected diseases.
Source: Reuters
