C-News Bureau Chief
GENEVA/NEW YORK –In a significant development in the fight against malaria, 12 countries in Africa, including Uganda, are set to receive a total of 18 million doses of the first-ever malaria vaccine over the next two years. This allocation of vaccines is a critical step forward in addressing one of the leading causes of death on the continent. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) issued a statement on July 5 emphasizing the importance of this rollout.
The allocation of the vaccines has been determined through the application of principles outlined in the Framework for the allocation of limited malaria vaccine supply. This framework prioritizes the distribution of doses to areas with the highest need, where the risk of malaria illness and death among children is the greatest.
Since 2019, Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi have been implementing the malaria vaccine through the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (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. The RTS,S/AS01 vaccine has been successfully administered to over 1.7 million children in these countries, demonstrating its safety and effectiveness. It has resulted in a substantial reduction in severe malaria cases and a decline in child deaths. As a result, at least 28 African countries have expressed their interest in receiving the malaria vaccine.
In addition to the initial three countries, the allocation of 18 million doses will enable nine more countries, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Uganda, to introduce the vaccine into their routine immunization programs for the first time. This allocation round utilizes the supply of vaccine doses available to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance via UNICEF. The first doses are expected to arrive in the recipient countries during the last quarter of 2023, with the rollout planned to begin in early 2024.
Thabani Maphosa, Managing Director of Country Programmes Delivery at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, highlights the potential impact of the vaccine, stating that when deployed alongside other interventions, it has the potential to prevent tens of thousands of deaths from malaria every year. He also emphasizes the importance of effectively utilizing the available doses while working with manufacturers to increase supply.
“This vaccine has the potential to be very impactful in the fight against malaria, and when broadly deployed alongside other interventions, it can prevent tens of thousands of future deaths every year,” he said.
Malaria remains one of the deadliest diseases in Africa, causing nearly half a million deaths among children under the age of five each year. It accounts for approximately 95% of global malaria cases and 96% of deaths in 2021. UNICEF Associate Director of Immunization Ephrem T Lemango stresses the preventable nature of these deaths and expresses hope that the vaccine rollout will improve the chances of survival for children, particularly in Africa.
Dr. Kate O’Brien, WHO Director of Immunization, Vaccines, and Biologicals, states that the malaria vaccine represents a breakthrough in improving child health and survival. She emphasizes the importance of equitable access to malaria prevention and the commitment to increasing supply until all children at risk have access to the vaccine.
To guide the initial allocation of limited doses, WHO brought together expert advisors primarily from Africa, where the burden of malaria is the greatest, to develop a Framework for allocation. The framework is based on ethical principles and a foundation of solidarity, with the aim of directing the initial doses to areas of greatest need. The framework implementation group, consisting of representatives from Africa CDC, UNICEF, WHO, the Gavi Secretariat, civil society, and independent advisors, reviewed and endorsed the group’s recommendations.
The global demand for malaria vaccines is expected to reach 40-60 million doses by 2026 and 80-100 million doses annually by 2030. In addition to the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine developed by GSK, another vaccine called R21/Matrix-M, developed by Oxford University and manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII), is expected to be prequalified by WHO soon. Gavi has outlined a roadmap to support the increase in supply to meet the growing demand.
The allocation of 18 million doses of the first-ever malaria vaccine to twelve African countries, including Uganda, marks a significant milestone in the fight against malaria. The prioritization of areas with the highest need and the application of ethical principles ensure that the vaccine reaches those who are most vulnerable to malaria. The success of the vaccine in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi, where it has already been implemented, has shown its effectiveness in reducing severe malaria cases and child deaths.
The introduction of the malaria vaccine into routine immunization programs in additional countries will have a profound impact on child health and survival. Malaria has been a persistent threat in Africa, causing a large number of deaths among children under the age of five. With the vaccine’s deployment, the hope is to prevent thousands of future deaths each year. As the supply of the vaccine increases, more children will have the opportunity to benefit from this life-saving intervention.
The collaborative efforts of organizations like WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria have been instrumental in making the malaria vaccine rollout possible. The coordination of resources, funding, and expertise has enabled the successful implementation of the vaccine in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi and paved the way for its introduction in other countries.
