Currently, one million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi
have received at least one dose of the first malaria vaccine known as
RTS,S/AS01E and marketed under the brand
name Mosquirix.
It targets children because
over three quarters of malaria deaths occur in under-five-year olds.
The world's first malaria vaccine will soon be available across Sub-Saharan Africa, according to PATH, partners of the vaccine developers, as positive results from the pioneering jab pile up.
The vaccine, known as RTS,S/AS01E and commercialized under
the brand name Mosquirix, targets children as over three quarters of malaria
deaths occur in under-five-year olds, according to the latest report from the
WHO.
Findings from a WHO pilot held in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi,
showed that the pioneering vaccine caused a significant reduction in severe
malaria and hospitalization among vaccinated children.
It means more countries in Sub-Saharan Africa will soon
receive the vaccine, says John Bawa, Africa lead for vaccine implementation at
Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH).
These findings pave the way for an expanded distribution
scheme that will see countries like Mozambique, Nigeria and Zambia receive the
vaccines, said Bawa during a webinar held in commemoration of World Malaria
Day.
"The next is to deploy the vaccine to other endemic
countries. Countries that are interested in the vaccine are expected to apply
to GAVI from June to September," he said at the webinar organized by the
African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), PATH and Kintampo Health
Research Centre (KHRC).
"Countries like Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia and Nigeria
have already written officially to express interest for the vaccine," Bawa
said.
He said malaria vaccine coverage in Malawi was at 88 per
cent in 2020 and 93 per cent in 2021. In Ghana, it was 71 per cent in 2020 and
76 per cent in 2021 and in Kenya, it was 69 per cent in 2020 and 83 per cent in
2021.
"These numbers indicate strong community demand and
capacity of childhood vaccination platforms to effectively deliver the vaccine
to children," said Bawa.
Currently, 1 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi
have received at least one dose of the first malaria vaccine.
These vaccines were distributed in a pilot scheme organised
by WHO. The organisation has now recommended the vaccine for use among children
in areas with moderate to high transmission rate of malaria.
Vaccine procurement
In an arrangement to boost vaccine supply and coverage,
GlaxoSmithKline, producers of the RTS,S vaccine, will transfer technology and
patent to Bharat Biotech in India to manufacture the vaccines.
The WHO, in a press release, said more than US$155 million
has been secured from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to support the introduction,
procurement and delivery of the malaria vaccine for Gavi-eligible countries in
sub-Saharan Africa.
The organization said it would provide guidance for countries
that are considering the use of vaccines for the reduction childhood illnesses
and deaths from malaria.
"For some countries, Gavi is paying about 80 per cent
[of the] cost of the vaccine, while it is expected that the country's
government would pay the [remaining] 20 per cent," Bawa said.
Wellington Oyibo, director of the Centre for Malaria
Diagnosis, Research, Capacity Building and Policy at the University of Lagos,
urged African leaders to ensure that their counterpart funds are available to
purchase the vaccine.
He said the Nigerian government and the Prince Ned Nwoko
Foundation malaria eradication project have applied to purchase the vaccine for
Nigerian children.
Oyibo said while the initial rollout of the vaccine may not
go around the country, the Nigerian government selected states with the highest
malaria burden to begin with.
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