Cameroon Rolls Out World’s First Malaria Vaccine
Cameroon is rolling out the world’s first routine vaccine program against malaria, in a global fight projected to save thousands of children’s lives across Africa.
The World Health Organization (WHO)-approved RTS S Vaccine, developed by British Drugmaker GSK, is targeting infants in Cameroon’s 42 worst-affected districts.
The Central African country will be the first country to administer doses through a routine immunization program, following successful pilot campaigns in Kenya, Ghana, and Malawi.
The rollout, due to start on Monday, was described by health officials as a milestone in the decades-long effort to curb malaria in the continent.
Twenty other countries aim to roll out the program this year, according to the global vaccine alliance Gavi.
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The four-dose vaccine is only about 30% effective and protection begins to fade after several months.
GSK said it can only produce about 15 million doses a year.
Twenty other countries aim to roll out the program this year, according to the global vaccine alliance, Gavi. Among them are Burkina Faso, Liberia, Niger and Sierra Leone.
The WHO says Cameroon records about six million malaria cases every year, with 4,000 deaths in health facilities – most of them children below five.
Six-month-old children in 42 districts with the greatest rates of morbidity and mortality will receive four doses until the age of two.
In 2021, Africa accounted for 95% of malaria cases globally and about 96% of related deaths.
