Nairobi, February 10 (EFE).- Almost 10,000 children have received the RTS,S anti-malaria vaccine in Cameroon and Burkina Faso since it was introduced last January in the first country in the first routine childhood vaccination campaign against the disease in around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported today.
Cameroon began applying the vaccine – also known as Mosquirix and developed by the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline – on January 22.
Burkina Faso introduced it on February 5, being the last country in Africa to start immunization.
This year it is expected to spread to around twenty countries in Africa, the continent where the majority of cases and deaths from this disease occur, which kills half a million children every year.
“Malaria is one of the major health challenges facing our region. The broader rollout of the malaria vaccine marks an important milestone in advancing the fight against this deadly disease,” said the WHO regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, in a statement.
“We are committed to supporting countries to ensure that all eligible children are protected from the devastating impacts of this preventable disease,” Moeti added.
In October 2021, RTS,S became the first malaria vaccine recommended by the WHO and has been successfully tested between 2019 and 2023 in pilot programs in Kenya, Ghana and Malawi, although its effectiveness is 60%. and decreases over time.
According to the GAVI Vaccine Alliance, one of the institutions responsible for this campaign, more than thirty African countries have shown interest in introducing the malaria vaccine, and the organization hopes that the drug will reach 6.6 million children this year. of the continent.
Malaria is a disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to humans through the bite of infected Anopheles mosquitoes.
Africa is the main source of contagion in the world, accounting for approximately 95% of malaria deaths globally and 94% of cases in 2022.
By: EFE
2024-02-10 14:58:57
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