2023-10-30 09:00:16
According to UNICEF, a child dies every 30 seconds from malaria somewhere in the world. A figure which alone reflects the impact of malaria in children under 5 years old, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Recent years have been marked by the development of vaccine solutions to prevent malaria. On October 2, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the use of a new vaccine to protect children once morest this vector-borne disease.
Two vaccines to protect children from malaria
After a first vaccine once morest malaria recommended in 2021, the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine, the WHO recommended at the beginning of October 2023 a second vaccine, intended to protect children once morest malaria, the R21/Matrix-M vaccine.
To know ! The RTS,S/AS01 vaccine is the first vaccine recommended to protect once morest malaria. It targets the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite in the world, and most frequently found in Africa (there are other parasites responsible for malaria, such as Plasmodium vivax). It is recommended in children, in areas where malaria transmission is moderate to high
Like the first vaccine, this second vaccine targets Plasmodium falciparum. As early as 2019, experimental vaccination programs were launched with the RTS, S/AS01 vaccine by vaccinating nearly two million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. This experiment allowed a clear decline in severe forms of malaria and mortalitywhich led the WHO to recommend vaccination in children.
Two vaccines close in terms of effectiveness
The two vaccines now available to protect children once morest malaria are effective and safe and make it possible to have a strong impact on hospitalizations and deaths of children linked to this vector-borne disease. So why a second vaccine? Protecting millions of children once morest malaria has led to a very sharp increase in demand for vaccine doses to carry out large-scale vaccination campaigns. However, the first vaccine is only available in limited quantities and is no longer enough to meet demand.
The recommendation to use a second vaccine should make it possible to better meet the needs of populations exposed to malaria. In sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 500,000 children die each year from a severe form of malaria. The arrival of a second vaccine should make it possible to reduce the gap between vaccine needs and the availability of vaccine doses and thus save several hundred thousand children in Africa.
A key step towards achieving the goal of reducing malaria incidence by 90% by 2030
The new R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine has demonstrated its effectiveness in several studies and in a clinical trial, which is still ongoing. Vaccine effectiveness is greatest when children are vaccinated just before peak mosquito season, which is the 4 to 5 months when mosquitoes proliferate in some parts of the world. The number of cases of symptomatic malaria is reduced by 75% in the year following administration of three doses of vaccines. The following year, children are protected once morest the disease by injecting a fourth dose of vaccine.
Childhood vaccination campaigns once morest malaria constitutes a major axis in the global fight once morest malaria. The arrival of this second vaccine represents a new decisive step! At least 28 countries in Africa are considering using a malaria vaccine as part of national immunization programs. The first RTS,S/AS01 vaccine will be deployed in Africa from the beginning of 2024, and the second vaccine, the R21/Matrix-M vaccine, will follow during 2024.
Estelle B., Doctor of Pharmacy
Source
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