A malaria vaccine advocate, Professor Segun Ademowo, has said if 30 million doses of the vaccine could be supplied globally, about 24,000 deaths of children could be averted yearly.
He, however, decried that lack of funding and commercial potential had slowed down the production of many doses of the vaccine
Ademowo, in a keynote address at the NOI Polls Converge 2023 hybrid meeting in Abuja, with the theme ‘Malaria Vaccine: Accelerating Development, Strengthening Efforts’, said RTS’S malaria vaccine production is still short of demand, adding that increased production of Oxford malaria vaccines and others are needed to fill the gap.
He said there are only six million doses of Oxford malaria vaccines produced and available for GAVI- eligible countries where the vaccines must have been recommended and prequalified.
Professor Ademowo described malaria vaccines as an important additional tool to control malaria in Africa, alongside other interventions such as routine use of insecticide-treated nets, indoor spraying with insecticides, malaria chemoprevention and timely testing and treatment.
The expert highlighted challenges against the malaria vaccine including limited market in developed countries and limited financial resources in malaria-endemic countries, adding that vaccine development entails a high-risk and high-cost process as the malaria parasite has over 6,000 genes.
According to him, “various types of research have shown that the effectiveness of RTS’S is approximately 60 per cent, but significantly wanes over time, even with a booster dose. But lack of funding and commercial potential slowed GSK’s capacity to produce as many doses as needed. There is, therefore, a need for intervention to save the situation.”
NOI Polls CEO, Dr Chike Nwangwu, in his opening remark, said Nigeria has one of the highest malaria burdens in the world, although significant efforts have been geared towards curbing and eradicating the malaise.
Nwangwu stated that a public opinion poll it conducted showed that the majority of Nigerians reported malaria to be the most worrisome health challenge in the country, adding that among the 48 per cent of respondents who reported that they visited the hospital because of illness, 88 per cent reported that they were diagnosed with malaria.
In addition, the poll found that 29 per cent use Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) for the treatment of malaria, seven per cent use Paracetamol, and one per cent use herbs as medication for the treatment of malaria, a practice that might not be safe.
He declared, “The survey shows that malaria disease is pervasive with as many as seven in 10 treating malaria in the past three months. However, only 41 per cent of Nigerians go to the hospital when they experience malaria symptoms. Nigerians are willing to take action to prevent the spread of malaria as most Nigerians admitted having insecticide-treated nets (ITN). Although only about one in five Nigerians are aware of the vaccine, almost nine in 10 Nigerians would be willing to get vaccinated against the disease.”
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