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The first global malaria vaccine for children aged six months to two years will start in the country as of May 1 this year.
The vaccine – Mosquirix or RTS, S – is being introduced to boost Ghana's national malaria control program.
Ghana is one of three African countries selected for vaccine testing by the World Health Organization (WHO), which seeks to introduce the vaccine globally. Kenya and Malawi are the other two countries.
The first batch of vaccines, containing 400,000 doses, was delivered to Ghana by WHO for the start of the three-year pilot project.
The vaccine works against Plasmodium falciparum, the most deadly malaria parasite in the world and the most common in Africa.
They will be administered free of charge as part of the national routine immunization program in 33 districts of Central, Oti, Volta, Bono, Ahafo and Bono Est regions.
press conference
Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), said at a press conference last Wednesday in Accra that the vaccine was a malaria control tool intended to supplement malaria. other interventions and not to replace the existing package of proven drugs. preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions against malaria such as mosquito nets and spraying of insecticides in the interior.
He added that although the country had made significant progress in malaria control with existing interventions, malaria remained a burden and a public health problem in Ghana with high mortality and morbidity rates.
He said various national and international trials have proven the safety of the vaccine and called on the public to reject social media campaigns against its use.
Dr Nsiah-Asare said that his country was interested in the vaccine and that, based on malaria, its robust vaccination policy and its national malaria control program, it had been allowed to conduct the trials alongside Kenya and from Malawi.
He added that the preparation for the test included capacity building in human resources, education and public awareness and stakeholder engagement.
Malaria burden
Dr. Badu Sarkodie, Director of the GHS Public Health Division, said that although malaria is a life-threatening disease, it is preventable and treatable.
He said that in 2016, 10.4 million suspected cases were registered, with 380,000 people admitted with malaria, and that 1,246 people were killed.
He said that it was a major public health problem in Ghana, with a transmission that affected children all year round.
He added that without action and such interventions, a child would die within the next 30 seconds and about 3,000 children would die of malaria each day.
Ghana is considered a country at high risk of malaria since it accounts for about 4% of the world's population and 7% of the burden in West Africa.
Expected results
The planned vaccination should prevent malaria in the target group, reduce the number of times that children are infected with malaria and their risk of infection with severe malaria.
Children will be required to receive four doses of the vaccine at six months, seven months, nine months, and two years, in addition to the other twelve vaccines listed on the national list.
The pilot project is expected to reach between 120,000 and 150,000 children each year.
The GHS plans to prevent at least 50,000 cases of malaria and save about 750 children each year from deaths from malaria.
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