Approximately 6.6 million children in these nations are scheduled to receive malaria vaccinations between 2024 and 2025.
Digital Desk: Cameroon on Monday launched the world's first systematic vaccination program against malaria, a mosquito-borne illness that is thought to save the lives of tens of thousands of children annually throughout Africa. This move marked a significant advancement in the global fight against malaria.
The RTS,S vaccine, which was produced by British pharmaceutical company GSK and authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) after almost 40 years of development, is intended to be used in conjunction with bed nets and other current methods to fight malaria, which kills almost 500,000 children under the age of five in Africa every year.
According to International Vaccination Alliance Gavi, Cameroon is the first nation to provide doses through a regular program that 19 other nations hope to implement this year, following successful trials conducted in Ghana and Kenya, among other countries.
Approximately 6.6 million children in these nations are scheduled to receive malaria vaccinations between 2024 and 2025.
"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 organisations.
The urgency is clear. The WHO estimates that the number of cases of malaria will increase by around 5 million years in 2022 because to factors such as rising pesticide resistance, disruptions caused by the COVID epidemic, and other problems.
The vaccine received attention from over 30 countries on the continent, and since a second vaccination passed a crucial regulatory hurdle in December, concerns about a shortage have subsided.
According to Kate O'Brien, the director of immunization at the WHO, the introduction of the second vaccine "is expected to result in sufficient vaccine supply to meet the high demand and reach millions more children" during the briefing.
Gavi's Chief Programme Officer, Aurelia Nguyen, stated that the R21 vaccine, which was created by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India, would be released in May or June.
"Having two vaccines for malaria will help to close the huge gap between supply and demand and could save tens of thousands of young lives, especially in Africa," according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, during a Monday meeting of the executive board of the U.N. organization.
Certain specialists raised doubts over the possible effects of the vaccines, arguing that resources and focus should remain on the larger battle against the long-standing disease and the application of proven malaria-prevention measures like bed nets.
During the briefing, health experts stated that in addition to the vaccine roll-out, a significant community outreach campaign was launched to counteract vaccine hesitancy and underscore the significance of continuing to utilize all preventive measures in conjunction with vaccination.
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