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New Vaccine for Malaria

April 25, 2017 | Expert Insights

How can the vaccination help some African countries?

World Malaria Day is celebrated on 25th April and years of research finally bear fruit as the most advanced injectable vaccine against malaria RTS, S will be introduced as a pilot programme in selected areas of Kenya, Ghana and Malawi in 2018.

The outcome of the research by GlaxoSmithKline and PATH- RTS, S has been developed to complement existing measures such as medicated bed nets and indoor residual insecticide spraying. This program will be conducted by the World Health Organisation and the government of these countries.

Development in the research of the vaccine

Plasmodium falciparum(Malaria) has caused 4,38,000 deaths worldwide in 2015 with 90% of the deaths occurring in Africa alone.

The three countries have been chosen based on high coverage of long-lasting insecticidal-treated nets (LLINs); well-functioning malaria and immunisation programmes, a high malaria burden even after scale-up of LLINs, and participation in the Phase III RTS, S malaria vaccine trial.

After successfully completing Phase III clinical trial of the vaccine on 5-7-month-old children, the RTS, S (Mosquirix) aims especially at the protection of children under 5 years of age since they are most susceptible to malaria with 3,03,000 African children dying before their 5th birthday in 2015.

Analysis

The efficacy of the programme depends on its execution and implementation. The vaccine needs to be given once every 3 months and a fourth, crucial dose after 18 months. A proper follow-up will then become a determining factor for if the 4th dose is not given the vaccine will not be effective.

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria approved $15 million for the malaria vaccine pilots. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and UNITAID announced commitments of up to $ 27.5 million and $ 9.6 million, respectively. Regulation of these funds from corruption and the cost effectiveness in the economically weak countries at later stages is yet to be known.

These initiatives will complement the efforts made by the governments of the African Union. 28th African Union Summit awarded Botswana, Cape Verde and Comoros and many other countries for their impact on the containment policy against malaria by 40 percent or more from 2010-2015.

Assessment

Though Phase III of the programme was effective under regulated conditions and provision of basic amenities, it’s effectiveness under unregulated circumstances is still a question. Also, African tribes like Maasai and Samburu in Kenya have still been living traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle and might not take well to the new technology and system.

Conducting pilot programmes in countries with lower HDI and higher cases of malaria like Togo and Sierra Leone would be more feasible since results could have been used as prototypes for other developing and underdeveloped countries like India and Ethiopia.

Most importantly, the manufacturing cost of the vaccines and their availability to the poor needs to be considered. Only if they are available at low commercial prices will they serve the purpose.