Malawi to roll out malaria vaccine end of November 2022

Malawi: After successfully piloting the vaccine in 11 districts across the country, the Malawi government says it is now ready to fully roll out Africa's first malaria vaccine for children under the age of five on November 29, 2022, writes Memory Phoso.

Dr Michael Kayange, Programs Manager for the National Dosage Malaria Control, said during a media briefing in Salima on Friday that the country is making progress in the fight against malaria, with the goal of completely eliminating the disease by 2030.

According to Dr Kayange, the malaria vaccine has the potential to reduce malaria cases and deaths in the country by one million.

He went on to say that the vaccine, which is aimed at children under the age of five, will be distributed in 11 districts, affecting over 900,000 children.

Dr Kayange, on the other hand, stressed that the vaccine will be extended to other countries based on vaccine availability.

Kayange also stated that the government has resumed regular distribution of effective mosquito nets and will conduct a public awareness campaign to influence positive behaviour change, as statistics show that approximately 50% of Malawians do not use mosquito nets.

The RTS, S vaccine is administered in four doses: at 5 months, 6 months, 7 months, and 22 months of age.

The RTS, S vaccine, which was tested in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi, took more than 30 years to develop and was approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) in October 2022.

Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda stated in October that the decision to roll out the vaccine was reached after discussions with PATH, a global health non-profit organisation, during this year's United Nations General Assembly in New York.

During the rainy season, especially in November and December, children in Malawi are at risk of contracting malaria.

Malaria is still the leading cause of childhood illness and death in Sub-Saharan Africa.