2024-04-24 23:43:00
This Thursday 25 April is World Malaria Day. A disease that has caused more than 600,000 deaths by 2022, 95% of them in Africa. To prevent the risk of malaria, the World Health Organization has recommended two vaccines since October 2023 that can effectively fight the disease. Vaccination campaigns have recently been launched on the continent.
Published: 25/04/2024 – 01:43
4 min
It took more than 30 years to develop an effective vaccine once morest malaria. The first, RTS,S, was approved by the World Health Organization in 2021 following two years of testing. Since 2019, almost 2 million children at risk have benefited from the vaccine once morest malaria Ghanaouch Kenya and at Malawi. Leads to a drop in infant mortality linked to the disease by 13%, according to Unicef.
In November 2023, Cameroon received their first doses, but it was only in January that this central African country was the first to develop a systematic and free vaccination program to save thousands of children.
Children under the age of five are the main victims of malaria and represent 80% of deaths worldwide. It is therefore recommended to give vaccines to infants from 5 months of age at a rate of 4 doses in areas with moderate and high infection.
According to the Gavi organization, the vaccine alliance, around twenty countriesAfricaand this is already the case Burkina Fasoshould integrate childhood vaccination programs this year as part of their malaria control policies.
Vaccination
This is also the case in Benin, where vaccination will start in areas where malaria-related mortality is high. The country is the fourth country to receive doses of RTS,S vaccines once morest malaria, reports our correspondent in Cotonou, Jean-Luc Aplogan. Vaccination will therefore take place first in three health zones out of 16 planned, in the south, center and north of the country, so-called priority zones. The rest will be enlisted later.
The first delivery of 215,000 doses will be enough for over 50,000 children because 4 doses are needed per child. This is an injectable dose of 0.5 ml. The injection is given in the thigh before 1 year of age and followingwards in the arm.
In terms of reliability, the government highlights WHO approval. The Minister of Health recently explained that ” vaccination remains one of the safest and most effective strategies “. According to a source at RFI, Benin is waiting for the next delivery of vaccines once morest malaria. The country should obtain supplies every three months.
Côte d’Ivoire also emphasizes prevention in society. The country should receive by June the first doses of vaccines once morest malaria to reduce infant mortality, estimated at 280 per 1,000, as explained by Dr Antoine Méa Tanoh, director of the National Malaria Control Program.
This year we will start vaccination in 40 districts.
Dr Antoine Méa Tanoh, Director of the National Malaria Control Programme
Binetta Diagne
Mosquito netting
The second solution to combat this disease is mosquito nets, according to our correspondent in Geneva, Jérémie Lanche. These are a new generation of tools because they are impregnated with two insecticides instead of just one, from the pyrethroid family.
It has been used for many years now but is no longer enough, according to Philippe Duneton, executive director of Unitaid, an organization set up by the United Nations to improve access to treatments for diseases such as malaria. “ The product that the mosquito net is impregnated with will kill the mosquito before it can even reach the person. But the problem is that with the development of mosquito resistance, the products that we have been using for 20 years have become less and less effective. “, he said.
Results for these 2.0 mosquito nets: 20 to 50% more efficiency. They have already helped prevent 25,000 deaths in the 17 countries where mosquito nets are already used. ” 60% of impregnated mosquito nets are new mosquito nets. And the price to increase by 70 cents for a total cost of 2.70 euros », exults Mr Duneton. A result at a minimal cost, therefore. Except that organizations such as Unitaid have only received half of the funds needed in the fight once morest malaria.
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