Malawi grants long-awaited malaria vaccine – MoreBranches

"After more than 15 years of steady progress in the fight against the disease, the improvement is slowing down. Malaria funding has also increased. If we simply use the same tools and strategies, progress will stop and the disease may return. Bill Gates, last week.

The World Health Organization announced Tuesday that it would deploy a pilot malaria vaccine program in Malawi, followed by Ghana and Kenya later in the year, to vaccinate 360,000 children every year. . The program will make the RTS, S vaccine available to all children under 2 years of age.

The RTS, S vaccine has been shown to prevent 4 out of 10 cases of clinical malaria; 3 cases of severe malaria out of 10; and 6 out of 10 cases of severe malaria, the leading cause of death of children through malaria. It is recommended that the vaccine be used as a complementary tool for malaria prevention and control, in addition to WHO-recommended measures, including insecticide-treated bednets, indoor insecticide spraying, and the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets. punctual testing and treatment of malaria.

"Bed nets and other malaria control measures have made enormous gains over the past 15 years, but progress has stalled or even reversed in some areas. We need new solutions to put malaria control back on track and this vaccine is a promising tool to achieve this, "said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. "The malaria vaccine has the potential to save tens of thousands of children."

This pilot program is coordinated by WHO in collaboration with the Ministries of Health of Malawi, Ghana and Kenya, as well as by PATH, a non-profit organization, and the vaccine manufacturer and developer, GSK, which Donated about 10 million doses of vaccine for the pilot project. . The program is funded by Gavi, the vaccine alliance; The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and Unitaid.

"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. We know the power of vaccines to prevent life-threatening illnesses and affect children, including those who may not have immediate access to the doctors, nurses, and health facilities they need to save them in case of illness. serious illness. It is a day to celebrate as we begin to learn more about what this tool can do to change the trajectory of malaria through childhood immunization, "said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

In some areas of the three countries, the vaccine will be given in 4 doses: 3 doses between 5 and 9 months and the fourth dose administered around 2^{North Dakota} anniversary.