Preparations are underway for the global launch of the first malaria vaccine, which will serve to protect millions of children in Africa.
The launch is being financed by the Gavi vaccine alliance with almost 160 million dollars.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said Gavi’s multi-billion dollar funding marks a key breakthrough in the fight against one of Africa’s most serious public health threats. The main victims are children under 5 years of age.
The WHO regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, said that every minute a child dies in Africa, with catastrophic consequences for families, communities and national development.
The vaccine was introduced in Africa in 2019. Since then, more than 1.3 million children have benefited from life-saving vaccines in three pilot countries: Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. Moeti highlighted that those countries have reported a 30% reduction in hospitalizations of children with severe malaria and a 9% reduction in child deaths.
“If applied on a large scale, millions of new cases could be prevented and tens of thousands of lives saved each year,” Moeti said. “We were encouraged to see that the demand for the vaccine is high, even in the context of COVID-19, with the first dose reaching between 73% and more than 90% coverage.”
Thabani Maphosa, managing director of country programs at Gavi, called the vaccine the most effective tool in the fight against malaria, noting that it will save the lives of many children. However, he lamented, the demand for the product will exceed supply.
“Our challenge during this critical phase is to ensure that the doses we have available are used as effectively and equitably as possible,” said Maphosa. “With this in mind, Gavi is today opening an application window for malaria support.”
The manager said that the three pilot countries, which already have experience in deploying the vaccine, will be the first to request and receive funds. So in practical terms, Maphosa said, they will require little help setting up their systems to get the operation up and running.
Maphosa said that a second round of financing will take place at the end of the year. At that point, he said, other countries with moderate to high cases of severe malaria will be able to submit requests for support.
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