<
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/jan/22/world-first-malaria-vaccine-rollout-begins-in-cameroon>
"The rollout of the world’s first malaria vaccine began in Cameroon on Monday,
which is said to be a “transformative chapter in Africa’s public health
history”.
The RTS,S vaccine – 662,000 doses of it – will be administered to children in
the west African country, the first to be vaccinated after successful trials of
the drug in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi between 2019 and 2021.
It marks a scaling up of the fight against malaria in Africa, where 95% of
deaths from the disease occur, most among children under five.
“We are not just witnessing but actively participating in a transformative
chapter in Africa’s public health history,” said Dr Mohammed Abdulaziz, the
division head at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention,
headquartered in Ethiopia, at a joint online briefing with the World Health
Organization. “For a long time we have been waiting for a day like this … it
brings more than just hope, it brings a reduction in the mortality and
morbidity associated with malaria.”
Public health experts say communication with the public will be crucial to the
vaccine’s success – to ensure that it is trusted, that people bring their
children back for all four doses, and that people understand it will be most
effective when combined with other measures, such as sleeping under
insecticide-treated bed nets.
“We need messaging, we need communication, and we need to use trusted voices,”
said Abdulaziz. “We need to use health workers who are very close to the
community. We need to listen to the community, to what they are saying and also
monitor how we are being received.”
Kate O’Brien, the director of the WHO’s immunisations and vaccines department,
said that based on the trial data, RTS,S – also known as Mosquirix – would
saves tens of thousands of lives.
Another 19 African countries plan to introduce the vaccine this year, with
hopes that 6.6 million children could be reached. Deliveries are due for
Burkina Faso, Liberia, Niger and Sierra Leone."
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-malaria-vaccine-reforestation-china-poverty-india/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
