The African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) has welcomed the testing of the first malaria vaccine in three African countries Africa next year.
This follows the announcement by the World Health Organiaation that Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi will take part in a WHO-coordinated pilot implementation programme that will make the world’s first malaria vaccine available in selected areas, beginning in 2018.
The injectable vaccine, RTS,S also known as Mosquirix, was developed to protect young children from the deadliest form of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum.
It will be assessed in the pilot programme as a complementary malaria control tool that could potentially be added to the core package of WHO-recommended measures for malaria prevention.
AMMREN is a registered non-governmental organisation made up of a network of African journalists and scientists working together towards the control and elimination of malaria. It draws its membership from 10 countries, including Nigeria.
AMMREN said that the introduction of the vaccine in the three countries was an opportunity to step up advocacy directed to whipping up public support for the malaria elimination agenda and specifically for the vaccine.
The statement signed by AMMREN Executive Secretary, Dr Charity Binka called for training and equipping of journalists to promote accurate and effective dissemination of information on the vaccine.
It stated that this would facilitate widespread awareness of the RTS,S malaria vaccine, particularly among family and community members to foster accurate understanding of the potential risks and benefits of the RTS,S malaria vaccine and the need for continued use of other malaria control measures.
More than 429,000 people lost their lives to the mosquito-borne illness in 2015, and hundreds of millions get sick with a malaria infection every year. Some never fully recover.
There have been fewer deaths because of better mosquito control and disease awareness, as well as sustained effort to get the right medicine to the right populations.
But there are gaps in prevention coverage, particularly in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, where about 43 per cent of people at risk for the disease don’t have access to mosquito protection like bed nets or bug spray.
Africa is the continent that sees the highest number of malaria cases. Adding a vaccine to the disease-fighting mix could make a significant dent.
The vaccine has shown enormous success. In phase 3, it was tried in 11,000 children in sub-Saharan Africa, and it decreased mortality by almost 50 per cent.
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