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Kenya began vaccinating children against malaria today. It is the third country in Africa (after Ghana and Malawi) to adopt the world’s first vaccination program against the most dangerous tropical disease. The pilots started in April this year and the results turned out to be very promising.
Children need vaccines the most
Pilot malaria vaccination program (malaria) planned for years 2019 – 2022 Feet started on April 23. Ghana, Malawi and Kenya were selected from among 10 countries interested in participating. The vaccine is to be administered there around 360 thousand children a year. Research shows that it offers partial protection against disease. It prevents about four out of ten cases of malaria. The first licensed malaria vaccine is expected to be given to children at six, seven and nine months and two years of age.
It is young children (under the age of five) who are most at risk of developing life-threatening complications from malaria. In Africa, more than 250 die every year as a result of this disease.
Also read: The most deadly diseases in the world
The research lasted over 30 years
Vaccine RTS, S, also known as Mosquirix, was created by scientists from the British pharmaceutical giant GSK as early as 1987. It has been tested for over 30 years and has been supported by many organizations, incl. PATH. It works by mobilizing the immune system to make antibodies that block the parasite and prevent liver infection. In 2015, the Strategic Advisory Group of Vaccine Experts to the World Health Organization (SAGE) and the Advisory Committee on Malaria Policy (MPAC) jointly recommended a pilot vaccine implementation in Africa.
Malaria vaccine to end epidemics?
According to WHO, between 2000 and 2015, the number of deaths from malaria fell by 62% and the number of cases fell by 41%. However, more recent data suggests that malaria is making a comeback. In 2016, there were 217 million cases, and in 2017, 2 million more. Kenya is making great strides in fighting the disease, but there has been an outbreak recently in some parts of the country. The last one took place in Baringo, where seven people were killed. However, WHO predicts that, inter alia, thanks to the vaccine by 2050, malaria will be eradicated worldwide.