Cotonou, Benin – In a major public health initiative, Benin, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have commenced mass rollouts of the World Health Organization (WHO)-approved RTS,S malaria vaccine on Wednesday.
This move marks their inclusion in the growing list of African countries integrating this vaccine into their routine malaria prevention programs.
The vaccine will be administered to children aged five months and older in four scheduled doses.
According to a joint statement by WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, the introduction of the vaccine in these countries represents a significant advancement in the fight against malaria in Africa, a continent which bears the highest burden of the disease.
In 2022, Africa accounted for 94% of all malaria cases and 95% of global malaria deaths.
The vaccine distribution saw Benin receiving 215,900 doses, Liberia 112,000 doses, and Sierra Leone 550,000 doses. The RTS,S vaccine has shown promising results in previous rollouts in countries such as Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.
Initial pilots in three of these countries reported a 13% reduction in deaths among children of eligible age, underscoring the vaccine's potential impact.
The ongoing expansion of the malaria vaccine program comes at a crucial time, with several more African countries expected to join in the coming months.
Additionally, there is anticipation for the rollout of a second WHO-approved malaria vaccine, R21, which promises to further enhance malaria prevention efforts across the continent.
This development is a crucial step in the global fight against malaria, offering hope for significant reductions in mortality and morbidity associated with the disease in some of the world's most affected regions.
