Published on 21.07.2022 at 5:18 p.m. by APA
This international support of nearly $160 million for the period from 2022 to 2025 will improve access to the vaccine for children. The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes the initiative launched by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which offers countries a historic opportunity to apply for funding to introduce or scale up the deployment of the RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) malaria vaccine. This international support, with an envelope of nearly 160 million US dollars, aims to improve access to the vaccine for children at high risk of illness and death from malaria, starting with Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. After these three African countries launched the pilot phase of vaccine introduction in 2019, the initiative will be extended to other eligible countries where the disease is endemic.
Malaria remains a major cause of illness and death among children in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the WHO. In 2020, nearly half a million African children died from malaria, or one child every minute.
Since its very first introduction in 2019, African communities have accepted the first malaria vaccine well after a relatively short time. Demand remains high despite the context marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, which is illustrated by the success in terms of vaccination and coverage ranging from 73% to more than 90% for the first dose depending on the country. To date, approximately 1.3 million children have benefited from this vaccine in the three pilot countries in Africa.
“Gavi’s new funding opportunity brings us one step closer to reaching millions more children in Africa with the life-saving RTS,S malaria vaccine,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, Regional Director of WHO for Africa.
She added: “During the pandemic, when routine health services faced countless challenges, parents and caregivers brought their children to clinics and health centers to be vaccinated against the virus. malaria. They know very well that lives are lost every day because of malaria and want to protect their children against this deadly disease”.
Following the recommendation made by WHO in October 2021 for the widespread use of the RTS,S malaria vaccine in children living in areas with moderate to high transmission of Plasmodium falciparum malaria, a number Malaria-endemic countries have expressed interest in adopting the vaccine and are expected to seek Gavi support for its introduction.
The RTS,S vaccine acts specifically against Plasmodium falciparum, which is the deadliest and most prevalent malaria parasite on the African continent. Where the vaccine has been introduced, there has been a significant drop in the number of children hospitalized with severe malaria, as well as a drop in the number of deaths of children in the age group targeted by the vaccine .
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said the first deadline of September 2022 for submitting applications is for countries that are currently using the vaccine and for whom continuity of the immunization program is a priority. A second round of applications, open to other eligible countries where malaria is endemic, will close in January 2023. Countries can submit expressions of interest during the first round of funding to be included in this round.
“Malaria has devastated communities in Africa for too long. We know that initially supply will not meet demand, but we still look forward to working with countries and our partners to integrate this new tool into our malaria control efforts and ensure its implementation. at scale, which could save the lives of thousands of children across the continent,” said Thabani Maphosa, Managing Director, Country Programs, Gavi.