Fawaz Adebisi
The World Health Organization, along with UNICEF and the Vaccine Alliance, has announced plans to deliver approximately 18 million doses of the initial malaria vaccine to 12 African countries by 2025.
During a briefing, WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, highlighted the severity of malaria in Africa, stating that it remains one of the continent’s most fatal diseases, causing the deaths of nearly half a million children under the age of five each year.
According to WHO, Africa accounted for 96 percent of the global malaria-related deaths in 2021, emphasizing the significant burden of the disease on the continent.
Malaria, a disease transmitted through the bites of specific mosquito species, resulted in the deaths of approximately 619,000 individuals worldwide in 2021, as reported by the latest data from the WHO.
However, as part of a pilot program, the Mosquirix (RTS,S) vaccine, which was created by the British pharmaceutical company GSK, has already been administered to over 1.7 million children in three African nations: Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.
“It has been shown to be safe and effective, resulting in a substantial reduction in severe malaria and a fall in child deaths,” Tedros said.
Nearly 30 African nations have expressed their desire to receive doses of the malaria vaccine.
Apart from the three countries involved in the initial testing phase, an additional nine countries—Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Uganda—will also benefit from the vaccine supply.
According to a statement from WHO, UNICEF, and the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), the first batch of vaccines is expected to arrive in the final quarter of 2023 and will be distributed in early 2024.
Tedros mentioned that another malaria vaccine, the R21/Matrix-M developed by Oxford University and manufactured by the Serum Institute in India (SII), is currently undergoing pre-qualification review by the WHO.
“It’s really important to remember nearly every minute a child dies of malaria… (vaccines are) an additional tool in the toolbox to fight against the severe disease, the deaths that occur,” said Kate O’Brien, director of the WHO’s immunisation and vaccines division.
“(It) is a really essential step forward.”
The vaccine “is a step absolutely in the right direction, and it’s the preview of many more millions of doses that will go out,” she said.
According to estimations by WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi, the global demand for malaria vaccines is projected to reach 40-60 million doses per year by 2026, and subsequently increase to approximately 80-100 million doses per year by 2030.
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