Malaria Disease Prevention and Control in African Children

Health Education

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The World Health Organization (WHO) approves first malaria vaccine (Mosquirix) for African children

Historic and ground-breaking RTS,S/AS01 (Mosquirix) recommendation can reinvigorate the fight against malaria

No less than 260 000 African children under the age of five die from malaria annually.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners have been reporting stagnation in progress against the deadly disease, in recent years.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved general use of the RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) – Mosquirix malaria vaccine among children in sub-Saharan Africa and in other regions with moderate to high P. falciparum malaria transmission, according to a news media report.

The approval is based on results from an ongoing pilot programme in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi that has reached more than 800 000 children since 2019.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the long-awaited ground-breaking malaria vaccine for African children as a historic and breakthrough for science, child health, and malaria control.  said  “Using this vaccine on top of existing tools to prevent malaria could save tens of thousands of young lives each year”, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Malaria remains a primary cause of childhood illness and death in sub-Saharan Africa. No less than 260 000 African children under the age of five die from malaria annually.

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In recent years, The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners have been reporting stagnation in progress against the deadly disease.

WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti said that malaria has been pestering sub-Saharan African children, causing immense personal suffering for centuries now.

“We have long hoped for an effective malaria vaccine and now for the first time ever, we have such a vaccine recommended for general use.

Africa shoulders the heaviest burden of the malaria disease and now there is hope many more African children will be protected from malaria and grow into healthy adults.

WHO recommendation for the RTS,S malaria vaccine

Based on the advice of two WHO global advisory bodies, one for immunization and the other for malaria, the Organization recommends that:

WHO recommends that in the context of comprehensive malaria control the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine be used for the prevention of P. falciparum malaria in children living in regions with moderate to high transmission as defined by WHO.  RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine should be provided in a schedule of 4 doses in children from 5 months of age for the reduction of malaria disease and …Read on.