Why a vaccine against malaria in Africa could revive the fight against the disease

Policymakers and health experts have welcomed WHO’s authorization of the world’s first malaria vaccine, which could be deployed in sub-Saharan Africa by the end of 2022.

WHO has approved wider use of GSK’s RTS, S malaria vaccine following pilot programs in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, which have followed 800,000 children since 2019.

GSK’s chief global health officer Thomas Breuer said the vaccine, which began development in 1987, may “reinvigorate the fight against malaria in the region at a time when progress in the fight against malaria has been achieved. are at a standstill ”.

Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the approval a “historic moment” and said it “is changing the course of public health history.”

British Health Secretary Sajid Javid called the approval “an excellent result for the continent’s public health and for British science”.

The vaccine, although the first to be approved, is still only 30% effective, requires four doses, and wears off within months.

However, scientists hope its approval marks a turning point in efforts to tackle the burden of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. The region accounts for the majority of the 400,000 deaths from malaria worldwide each year.

Colin Sutherland, professor of parasitology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told CNBC on Thursday that children from low-income families in high transmission areas would normally have multiple bouts of malaria in every rainy season, if not throughout the year. year round.

“The impact on public health is therefore not only serious illness and even death in a relatively small proportion, but chronic or repeated infections leading to anemia, fatigue, poor school attendance, reduced possibilities learning and also impaired cognition, ”Sutherland said.

“In this context, a vaccine that offers three to six months of 30% protection can have much appreciated public health benefits.”

Sutherland suggested that this breakthrough could contribute to faster progress in the fight against malaria, provided resources continue to be devoted to management, prevention and control alongside vaccine development.

New data showed that RTS, S, when combined with seasonal antimalarial drugs, reduced clinical episodes, hospitalizations and deaths by approximately 70%.

Sutherland also said the long-term outlook for future malaria vaccines deploying the same RNA-based technology found in the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines is “excellent” and has opened a “very exciting path” in the future. vaccine research.

“Pharmacy needs strong partnerships and incentives to work in the development of drugs and vaccines against tropical diseases. In fact, the success of the malaria vaccine (and indeed the success of the Covid vaccine) did not come just from a private company working alone, but from a complex ecosystem of cooperation and innovative financing mechanisms. involving universities, pharmaceutical companies, international charities and substantial amounts of direct public funding (from UK, EU, US and other countries), ”he said.

“Therefore, it is imperative that government funding be sustained, especially in the area of ​​global health where profits are low.”