Developing nations including Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi are asked to apply for funding to receive the malaria vaccine by the WHO and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
The aforementioned nations, who tested the vaccination in 2019, will get international assistance totaling $160 million (£133 million) from 2022 to 2025.
From September, individuals from other nations with malaria can apply for financing. It is estimated that one child in Africa dies from malaria every minute.
More nations have expressed interest in the RTS,S vaccine as a result of the WHO‘s recommendation for its broad use in October 2021. However, the jab only offers 30% protection.
Since the vaccination was piloted in 2019, around 1.3 million kids have gotten at least one of the necessary four doses. However, the continent’s supply is still rather constrained.
The WHO estimates that Africa needs at least 80 to 100 million doses every year. Only 15 million doses may be produced annually, according to the manufacturer GSK, until 2028.
“Lives are at stake, every day,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti from the WHO.
In 2020, Africa was home to 95% of malaria cases and 96% of malaria deaths. Children under 5 accounted for about 80% of all malaria deaths in the Region.
The disease is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans, caused by protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Plasmodium. Four species account for almost all human infections but the species P. falciparum causes the majority of infections in Africa and is responsible for the most severe forms of the disease, with the highest mortality rate. When an infected mosquito bites a human therefore, it can introduce the parasite from its saliva into the person’s blood.
Many different species of mosquito transmit malaria in this way. Each of the malaria-transmitting mosquito species has different lengths of life-cycle, preferred aquatic habitat, and preferred feeding.
The long lifespan and strong human-biting habit of the African species that carry malaria are the main reasons for the high incidence of malaria in Africa. Despite the fact it is easily preventable and treatable, malaria continues to have a devastating impact on people’s health and livelihoods around the world.