More than 1 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have already received one or more doses of the world’s first malaria vaccine, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The malaria vaccine pilot projects, first launched by the Malawi government in April 2019, have shown that the RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) vaccine is safe and feasible to administer and that it substantially reduces severe cases. and potentially fatal cases of malaria.
The findings supported the WHO’s October 2021 recommendation for expanded use of the immunizer among children living in environments with moderate to high malaria transmission. The WHO estimates that, if widely deployed, the vaccine could save the lives of an additional 40,000 to 80,000 African children each year.
More than US$155 million has been guaranteed by the Gavi vaccine alliance to support the introduction, procurement and distribution of the malaria vaccine to eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa. WHO guidance is available for countries considering adopting the vaccine as an additional tool to reduce childhood illnesses and deaths from malaria.
“As a malaria researcher early in my career, I dreamed of the day when we would have an effective vaccine against this devastating disease,” Tedros Adhanom, director-general of the WHO, said in a statement.
“This vaccine is not just a scientific breakthrough, it is life changing for families across Africa. Demonstrates the power of science and innovation for health. Even so, there is an urgent need to develop more and better tools to save lives and drive progress towards a malaria-free world.”
Source: CNN Brasil
