Cameroon Starts World’s First Malaria Mass Vaccine Rollout

Yaoundé: Cameroon is set to become the first country in Africa to introduce a new malaria vaccine for children, marking a significant milestone in the fight against the mosquito-borne disease.

The campaign, scheduled to begin today, aims to vaccinate approximately 2,50,000 children in next 2 years. The Gavi vaccines alliance is supporting Cameroon in securing shots for this initiative.

The approved vaccine, Mosquirix, developed by GlaxoSmithKline, is around 30% effective, requiring four doses with protection diminishing after several months. Despite its imperfections, the World Health Organization endorsed the vaccine two years ago, acknowledging its potential to significantly reduce severe infections and hospitalizations.

Cameroon’s goal is to address the high burden of malaria in Africa, where approximately 250 million cases and 600,000 deaths, mostly in young children, occur annually. Gavi is collaborating with 20 other African countries to facilitate vaccine access, aiming to immunize over 6 million children by 2025.

While Mosquirix has production limitations, a second malaria vaccine developed by Oxford University, approved by the WHO in October, offers a more practical solution. Cheaper, requiring three doses, and with the potential for mass production by India’s Serum Institute, this vaccine could play a crucial role in widespread immunization.

It’s important to note that neither vaccine halts transmission, emphasizing the continued importance of complementary measures like bed nets and insecticidal spraying to combat the spread of the malaria parasite via infected mosquitoes.