Malaria: where does the RTS,S vaccine really stand in Africa?

The vaccine, named RTS,S has been declared “safe and effective” in reducing deaths and serious illnesses from malaria after being administered to 1.7 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi since 2019. Now, some 18 million doses of the first antimalarial vaccine will be sent to 12 African countries until 2025, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) announced on Wednesday July 5. ). Indeed, “Malaria remains one of the deadliest diseases in Africa, where it kills almost half a million children under the age of 5 every year,” said the WHO chief, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at a press conference.

In 2021, 96% of global malaria deaths occurred in Africa.

The RTS,S vaccine – developed by British pharmaceutical group GSK – has already been administered to more than 1.7 million children in three African countries – Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, as part of a pilot programme. “It has been shown to be safe and effective, resulting in a substantial reduction in severe forms of malaria and a drop in child deaths,” Dr. Tedros said.

Nearly 30 African countries have indicated they want to receive doses.

In addition to the three test countries, which will continue to receive doses, nine other countries will receive the doses, WHO, UNICEF and Gavi said in a statement. These are Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone and Uganda.

The first vaccines are expected to arrive in the last quarter of 2023, for deployment in early 2024. The vaccine is currently produced by GlaxoSmithKline, but with 60 million doses needed each year by 2026, Indian company Bharat Biotech will soon be also involved in procurement.

Dr Tedros pointed out that a second malaria vaccine, R21/Matrix-M developed by the University of Oxford and produced by the Serum Institute in India (SII), “is under review for prequalification” by WHO, a procedure to ensure that health products for supply to low-income countries are safe and effective. “It is very important to remember that almost every minute a child dies from malaria, and the introduction of the malaria vaccine is an important step forward” in the fight against the disease, said the director of the department of immunization and vaccines at the WHO, Kate O’Brien, at a press conference.

This first vaccine “is a step in the right direction, and it foreshadows the millions of doses that will be distributed in the future”, she assured. WHO, UNICEF and Gavi estimate that the annual global demand for malaria vaccines is expected to be 40-60 million doses by 2026, and then between 80-100 million doses each year by 2030.

Malaria – a disease transmitted to humans through the bites of certain types of mosquitoes – caused the death of 619,000 people worldwide in 2021, according to the latest WHO figures.