World's first malaria vaccine goes to Africa

Pilot malaria vaccine program begins in Africa

Due to climate change, mosquitoes survive and proliferate further, endangering billions of people, even in non-endemic areas, making the vaccine even more important, especially in Africa.

Malaria kills a child every two minutes, making it one of the deadliest in the world. Most of these deaths occur in Africa, where more than 250,000 children die each year as a result of the disease. Children under 5 are most at risk for life-threatening complications. Worldwide, malaria kills 435,000 people a year, mostly children. Therefore, a malaria vaccine is a great scientific discovery, especially for the African continent.

RTS, S is the world's first vaccine against malaria, as well as the first vaccine approved for use against a human parasitic disease. The vaccine was designed and created in the late 1980s, and approved by European regulators in July 2015, and finally, in April 2019, was launched as a pilot project in Africa involving three countries: Malawi, Kenya and Ghana. The Malawi government has rolled out its program on April 23 and Ghana and Kenya will closely monitor their programs in the coming weeks.

In clinical trials, the vaccine has prevented about 4 out of 10 cases of malaria, including 3 out of 10 serious life-threatening cases of malaria. "Malaria is a constant threat in African communities where this vaccine will be administered. The poorest children suffer the most and are most likely to die, "said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. "We know the power of vaccines to prevent life-threatening illnesses and reach children, including those who may not have immediate access to the doctors, nurses, and health facilities they need to save them in the event serious illness. "

The vaccine comes at a particularly opportune time because, as a result of climate change, mosquitoes survive and proliferate further, endangering billions of people, even in non-endemic areas such as Canada and Europe. However, even though it is a future threat to Canada and Europe, it is a permanent and permanent threat to Africa.

Header Image Credit: Center for Infectious Diseases