On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the first malaria vaccine in the world is set to be rolled out in Africa, where over the next two years, an expected 18 million doses will be delivered to twelve countries across the continent.
In a joint statement, the WHO, the Global Vaccine Alliance, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) noted that pilot programs in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, have seen more than 1.7 million children already receive the Mosquirix (RTS,S/AS01) shots since 2019.
Nine more countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Uganda are now set to see their first vaccinations begin.
According to the statement, “At least 28 African countries have expressed interest in receiving the malaria vaccine,” which has been proven to be “safe and effective.”
Kate O’Brien, WHO Director of Immunization, noted that, “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.”
The vaccines are expected to arrive in the countries where they will be rolled out in the last quarter of 2023, and vaccinations will begin in early 2024.
Malaria had been designated one of the deadliest diseases in Africa by the WHO, which notes it killed almost a half million children under the age of five in 2021. The continent of Africa accounted for roughly 95% of the malaria cases in the world, and 96% of the deaths from malaria in 2021.
According to the WHO, the RTS,S vaccine, which was created by British pharmaceutical giant GSK, is the first injection recommended to prevent malaria in regions with moderate to high transmission of the disease.
