OUAGADOUGOU – The first shipments of the World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended malaria vaccine, RTS,S, have arrived in Yaoundé, Cameroon, marking a significant milestone in the fight against malaria in Africa. This delivery, consisting of 331,200 doses, is the first to a country not previously involved in the malaria vaccine pilot program and signals the impending scale-up of malaria vaccination across high-risk areas in Africa.
According to Africa Science News, Malaria remains one of the deadliest diseases globally, particularly affecting children under five in Africa. In 2021, there were 247 million malaria cases worldwide, resulting in 619,000 deaths. Of these, 77 percent were children under five, predominantly in Africa. The arrival of the RTS,S vaccine in Cameroon represents a crucial step in combating this significant health burden.
In addition to Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Niger, and Sierra Leone are set to receive 1.7 million more doses of the RTS,S vaccine in the coming weeks. These countries are in the final stages of preparing to introduce the vaccine into routine immunization programs, with the first doses expected to be administered in early 2024.
Introducing a new vaccine into national immunization programs requires comprehensive preparation, including training healthcare workers, improving infrastructure, and community engagement. The malaria vaccine’s four-dose schedule presents additional challenges, necessitating careful planning for effective delivery.
Since 2019, the RTS,S vaccine has been administered in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi as part of the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP). Over 2 million children have received the vaccine in these countries, resulting in a 13% reduction in all-cause mortality among age-eligible children and significant decreases in severe malaria illness and hospitalizations.
Findings from the pilot program indicate high vaccine uptake without impacting the use of other malaria prevention measures or the uptake of other vaccines. The program’s success has informed the WHO’s recent recommendation of a second malaria vaccine, R21, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII). Like RTS,S, R21 is expected to have a high public health impact when implemented.
The R21 vaccine is currently under WHO review for prequalification. With the availability of two malaria vaccines, there is an expectation of increased supply to meet the high demand from African countries, ensuring sufficient doses for all children in areas where malaria is a public health risk.
The broad implementation of malaria vaccination, combined with existing WHO-recommended malaria control measures, has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives annually. However, vaccines are not a standalone solution. They should be introduced alongside other control measures such as insecticide-treated nets, indoor residual spraying, and effective case management.
Global health leaders are optimistic about the impact of these developments. David Marlow, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, expressed their excitement about the potential game-changing impact of the malaria vaccine. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the need to bring malaria vaccines to scale to protect more children’s lives.