Malaria vaccine: how effective is it and when will it be available?

Since 2019, researchers have been implementing larger pilot vaccination programs in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi.

More than 800,000 children have received at least one dose and the World Health Organization says there is no safety issue.

Obviously, it would be better if the vaccine offered a higher rate of protection. But many believe that with hundreds of millions of cases of infection, a 40% reduction would still mean saving a significant number of lives.

“This is a moderately effective vaccine,” Pedro Alonso of the World Health Organization told the BBC. [لكن] Avoiding 30-40% of injuries and deaths can be very beneficial for people. “

Health authorities are also keen to stress that this is a new weapon in the fight against malaria that will be used in combination with other preventive measures.

Malaria is caused by a parasite that invades and destroys blood cells to reproduce, and is spread by a mosquito bite.

The vaccine targets the deadliest and most widespread parasite in Africa: Plasmodium falciparum.

Dr Alonso said he is trying to combat the form of the parasite that enters the victim’s bloodstream shortly after being bitten, partially blocking access to human cells and thereby preventing disease.

To ensure that the vaccine is effective, a child needs 4 doses, at five, six and seven months, and then a last booster dose when the child is about 18 months old.

Children are the most likely to die from malaria because, unlike adults, they have not had the opportunity to develop immunity.

The vaccine was developed by pharmaceutical giant GSK, which pledged to deliver the doses at a manufacturing cost plus 5%, but did not specify a final price.

And when it comes to getting a vaccine, it’s up to countries and donors to provide the funding.

“The international funding community must now discuss and then decide how to buy the vaccine,” Thomas Brewer, head of global health for GSK, told the BBC.

Rose Galango, who is helping coordinate the pilot program in Kenya, said authorities are awaiting global guidance on how to finance the vaccine as part of the national immunization program.

Currently in Kenya, most funding for vaccines comes from donors such as the Gavi Vaccine Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Pilot programs will continue in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. GSK says it has donated 10 million doses for the study and so far a quarter has been used.

The company is committed to providing 15 million doses per year. If he finds the money, Brewer said, they could start making it available for wider use from late 2022 or early 2023.

But that number may not be enough. By the end of the decade, up to 100 million doses could be needed each year, according to Ashley Burkett, who helped work on the immunization program.

Since vaccination is intended for children under two years of age, it can be combined with other childhood immunization programs, so no additional infrastructure is required.

There is a need for more public education and some training for health workers.

Dr Galango told the BBC that in the pilot program in Kenya, more than 200,000 children were vaccinated and made available in rural and remote areas through outreach programs and remote clinics.

Work is underway on other vaccines, including one from the University of Oxford in the UK. And in April, researchers reported that the first trials showed it was 77% effective.

But developing vaccines against malaria is a long process because it is a much more complex disease than, for example, treatment for the coronavirus.

“RTS, S” is the first vaccine against malaria that has undergone all the necessary tests and experiences, but the World Health Organization says the availability of another vaccine “will be very useful in the fight against malaria” because it will help meet the expected strong demand. .