Twelve countries across various regions in Africa have been selected to receive a total of 18 million doses of the first-ever RTS, S/AS01 malaria vaccine between 2023 and 2025.
This announcement was made through a joint press statement by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday.
The RTS,S/AS01 vaccine is the first malaria vaccine recommended by the WHO for use in areas with moderate to high malaria transmission, specifically targeting children.
The statement highlights the successful implementation of the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi since 2019, in which over 1.7 million children have received the vaccine.
The program, coordinated by the WHO and funded by Gavi, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and Unitaid, has demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, resulting in a significant reduction in severe malaria cases and child mortality.
As a result, 28 African countries have expressed interest in obtaining the malaria vaccine.
In addition to the initial implementation in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi, the vaccine will now be introduced into routine immunization programs in nine more countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.
The first shipments of the vaccine are expected to reach these countries in the last quarter of 2023, with rollouts commencing in early 2024.
The allocation of doses has been determined based on the highest need, prioritizing areas with the greatest risk of malaria-related illness and death among children.
Malaria remains one of the deadliest diseases in Africa, causing the deaths of nearly half a million children under the age of five each year. It accounts for 95% of global malaria cases and 96% of deaths in 2021.
The introduction of the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine is considered a major breakthrough in the fight against malaria and is expected to save tens of thousands of lives each year when used in conjunction with other interventions. Efforts are underway to increase vaccine supply and ensure equitable access for all children at risk.
The successful rollout of this vaccine is seen as a crucial step in reducing malaria-related child mortality rates across the continent, providing hope for a brighter future for African communities.