Title: Africa to Receive 18 Million Doses of Malaria Vaccine: A Key Step in the Battle Against a Deadly Disease
Introduction:
In response to the high demand for the first-ever malaria vaccine, 12 countries in Africa will be provided with a total of 18 million doses of RTS,S/AS01 between 2023 and 2025. This vaccine allocation is a critical milestone in the fight against malaria, one of the leading causes of death on the continent. The countries chosen for the program include Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. By focusing on areas with the greatest need, where the risk of illness and death among children is highest, this initiative aims to make a substantial impact on reducing severe malaria and child mortality rates.
Expansion of Vaccination Efforts in Pilot Areas:
Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi have been at the forefront of distributing the malaria vaccine since 2019 through the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Program (MVIP). Coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and Unitaid, this program has successfully administered the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine to over 1.7 million children in these countries. The vaccine has proven to be safe and effective, resulting in a significant decrease in severe malaria cases and child deaths. Thus, the expansion of vaccine allocations to these pilot areas will continue to contribute to the fight against this deadly disease.
Introduction to New Countries:
The initial allocation of 18 million doses will now enable the introduction of the vaccine in additional countries. Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Uganda will include the malaria vaccine in their routine immunization schedules. This expansion of the program is made possible by the available vaccine doses through Gavi, which will be supplied by UNICEF. The distribution of the first doses is expected to start in late 2023, with countries beginning their rollout in early 2024. This step forward marks a significant achievement in equitable access to malaria prevention strategies for children at risk across the African continent.
The Urgent Need to Combat Malaria:
Malaria remains a major public health challenge in Africa, with nearly half a million children under the age of 5 losing their lives to the disease each year. In 2021 alone, Africa accounted for approximately 95% of global malaria cases and 96% of deaths. The devastating impact of malaria on children’s lives emphasizes the urgency of implementing preventive measures, such as vaccination, to save countless young lives. The allocation of the malaria vaccine to areas of greatest need is an essential step toward achieving equity in access to healthcare and eliminating malaria-related deaths among vulnerable populations.
Harnessing the Power of Vaccination:
The introduction of the malaria vaccine represents a significant advancement in child health and survival across Africa. The demand for this vaccine underscores the commitment of families and communities to protect their children from this deadly disease. As supply increases, it is anticipated that more children will benefit from this life-saving intervention. The successful implementation of the vaccine in pilot areas, coupled with ongoing research and development of additional vaccines, such as R21/Matrix-M, demonstrates the potential to further strengthen malaria prevention efforts.
The Path Forward:
The path to eliminating malaria requires concerted efforts from stakeholders, including governments, global organizations, and civil society. The introduction of the vaccine is a critical step, but it should be accompanied by comprehensive malaria control strategies. These could include vector control measures, prompt diagnosis, and effective treatment. Moreover, ongoing research and development of new vaccines, along with increasing access to existing ones, are essential to meet the global demand for malaria prevention.
Conclusion:
The allocation of 18 million doses of the first malaria vaccine to 12 countries in Africa marks a significant milestone in the fight against malaria. By targeting areas with the highest burden of disease, these doses will protect vulnerable populations and contribute to the reduction of severe malaria and child mortality rates. The success of ongoing vaccination efforts in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi showcases the potential impact of the vaccine in saving lives. This achievement highlights the importance of continued collaboration among governments, international organizations, and communities to ensure equitable access to preventive measures and ultimately eliminate malaria as a major public health threat in Africa.
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- In response to high demand for the first malaria vaccine, 12 countries in Africa will receive a total of 18 million doses of RTS,S/AS01 for the period 2023-2025
- Malaria Vaccine Implementation Program countries Ghana, Kenya and Malawi will receive doses to continue vaccinations in pilot areas
- Allocations for new introductions were also made in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.
Twelve countries in different regions of Africa will receive 18 million doses of the first malaria vaccine in the next two years. The launch is a fundamental step in the fight against one of the main causes of death on the continent.
The allocations have been determined by applying the principles described in the Structure for the allocation of a limited supply of malaria vaccines that prioritizes those doses to areas of greatest need, where the risk of illness and death from malaria among children is highest.
Since 2019, Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have been distributing the malaria vaccine through the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Program (MVIP), coordinated by the WHO and funded by Gavi, Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS , Tuberculosis and Malaria, and Unitaid. The RTS,S/AS01 vaccine has been administered to more than 1.7 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi since 2019 and has been shown to be safe and effective, which translated into both a substantial reduction in severe malaria and a drop in child deaths. At least 28 African countries have expressed interest in receiving the malaria vaccine.
In addition to Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, the initial allocation of 18 million doses will allow nine more countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone and Uganda, to introduce the vaccine. in their routine immunization schedules for the first time. This round of allocation makes use of the supply of vaccine doses available to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance through UNICEF. The first doses of the vaccine are expected to reach countries during the last quarter of 2023, with countries starting to roll them out in early 2024.
“This vaccine has the potential to make a huge impact in the fight against malaria, and when widely implemented alongside other interventions, it can prevent tens of thousands of future deaths every year,” said Thabani Maphosa, Chief Delivery Officer. of Country Programs at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “While we work with manufacturers to help increase supply, we must ensure that the doses we have are used as effectively as possible, which means applying all the learnings from our pilot programs as we scale to a new total from 12 countries.”
Malaria remains one of the deadliest diseases in Africa, killing nearly half a million children under the age of 5 and accounting for approximately 95% of global malaria cases and 96% of deaths in 2021.
“Almost every minute, a child under the age of 5 dies of malaria,” said Ephrem T Lemango, UNICEF Associate Director of Immunization. “For a long time, these deaths have been preventable and treatable; but the rollout of this vaccine will give children, especially in Africa, an even better chance of survival. As supply increases, we hope that even more children will be able to benefit from this life-saving advance.”
“The malaria vaccine is a great advance in improving child health and child survival; and families and communities rightly want this vaccine for their children. This first malaria vaccine dose allocation is prioritized for children most at risk of dying from malaria,” said Dr Kate O’Brien, WHO Director of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals. “The high demand for the vaccine and the strong reach of childhood immunization will increase equity in access to malaria prevention and save many young lives. We will work tirelessly to increase supply until all children at risk have access.”
Given the limited supply in the first years of the launch of this new vaccine, in 2022, the WHO convened expert advisers, mainly from Africa, where the burden of malaria is greatest, to support the development of a Structure for the allocation of a limited supply of malaria vaccines, to guide where the initial limited doses would be allocated. The Framework is based on ethical principles on a basis of solidarity; and he proposes that the allocation of vaccines begin in the areas of greatest need.
The Framework Implementation Group that applied the principles of the Framework included representatives from the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), UNICEF, WHO and the Gavi Secretariat, as well as representatives from civil society and independent advisers. The group’s recommendations were reviewed and endorsed by the Gavi Senior Leadership Support Group, WHO and UNICEF.
Annual global demand for malaria vaccines is estimated at 40 to 60 million doses by 2026 alone, rising to 80 to 100 million doses each year by 2030. In addition to the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine, developed and produced by GSK , and in the future supplied by Bharat Biotech, it is expected that a second vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, developed by Oxford University and manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII), may also be prequalified by WHO soon. . Gavi has recently outlined his road map to support the increase in supply to meet demand.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Useful documents:
About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other private sector partners. See the full list of donor governments and other leading organizations that fund Gavi’s work here.
Since its creation in 2000, Gavi has helped immunize an entire generation – more than a billion children – and prevented more than 16.2 million future deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 73 low-income countries. income. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems and funding global stockpiles of Ebola, Cholera, Meningococcal and Yellow Fever vaccines. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation, especially zero-dose children who have not received a single vaccine. The Vaccine Alliance uses innovative finance and the latest technology, from drones to biometrics, to save millions more lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread, and help countries on the path to self-sufficiency. Learn more at gavi.org and connect with us at Facebook and Twitter.
Gavi is co-convener of COVAX, the vaccine pillar of the COVID-19 Access to Tools Accelerator (ACT), together with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF . In his role, Gavi focuses on the procurement and delivery of COVAX: he coordinates the design, implementation and management of the COVAX Facility and Gavi COVAX AMC and works with his Alliance partners, UNICEF and WHO, along with governments, in the preparation and delivery of countries.
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. In more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for all.
To learn more about UNICEF and its work, visit: www.unicef.org
Follow UNICEF on Twitter, Facebook, instagram and Youtube
About who
Dedicated to the well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health Organization leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere the same chance for a safe and healthy life. We are the UN health agency connecting nations, partners and people on the front lines in more than 150 locations, leading the global response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of health problems and expanding access. to drugs and medical care. Our mission is to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.
Visit: www.who.int
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