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When children are born in western Kenya, where malaria is common, mothers are given a mosquito net when they leave the hospital, which is a blanket to protect against mosquito bites, which are one of the main reasons. causes of disease transmission. abandoned vaccine adoption globally?
Malaria has been a disease caused by parasites for thousands of years, and kills more than 400,000 people worldwide each year, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 260,000 children under five die each year from this illness.
“Malaria is our number one health problem,” said Matthews Aguala, a health worker who distributes bed nets, according to a New York Times article.
After a recommendation from the World Health Organization to use the vaccine against malaria, the first in the world, Agwala said: “This vaccine will radically change the rules of the game.
The World Health Organization on Wednesday recommended the widespread use of the malaria vaccine, scientifically known as RTS.S, in children in Africa and other areas with average malaria transmission rates. and high.
WHO based its approval on the results of more than 2.3 million doses administered since 2019 to nearly 800,000 children in Kenya, Malawi and Ghana.
On the other hand, Africans believe that the vaccine alone will not solve the malaria problem, according to the report.
In clinical trials, the vaccine, made by UK drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline, was only 30% effective in reducing malaria in the first year after administration, according to the WHO, although some experts reported that its effectiveness was up to 50%.
To ensure the effectiveness of the vaccine, four doses of it must be administered from the age of 5 months, which can run into logistical problems as the delivery of vaccines to the African continent is already a challenge, according to the report.
“A vaccine saves lives, but it is not a panacea,” said Dr Githengi Gitah, CEO of the NGO Amref Health Africa.
Getahi pointed out that the main challenge facing the malaria vaccine is how to distribute it effectively, not only in areas with moderate to high prevalence, but also in conflict areas where malaria is endemic.
Health officials also need to find the best way to balance malaria vaccination with other childhood vaccination campaigns such as polio and measles, he said.
The vaccine, called Mosquirix, targets Africa’s deadliest and most common malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, meaning health officials have yet to spread a disease-fighting culture and provide people mosquito nets and insecticides.
Faith Walucho, mother of an 11-month-old baby who was recently diagnosed with malaria in Kenya, said she received the news of the vaccinations “with great pleasure”.
In the Malawi capital, Jenala Mwafulirawa, 52, a mother of five, welcomed the news of the vaccine, saying that many children in her family have died of illness, especially in rural areas where health care is provided. health are limited.
“This vaccine came at the right time,” she added.
But in some places, people have expressed skepticism about the vaccine, in part because of distrust of the World Health Organization, according to the report.
“I wonder why they want to help Africa, why they don’t care about better hygiene and sanitation systems instead of providing vaccines,” said Mamadou Tonkara, 40, a teacher in Dakar, the capital. Senegalese.
“If the World Health Organization wants to help eradicate this disease, it can do so without a vaccine,” he added.
However, public health officials say the vaccine, which has been in development for more than 30 years, has already proven to be an important weapon in the war on the disease.
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