Cameroon has launched the world’s first routine vaccine program against malaria.
According to the BBC, the symbolic commencement of the program took place at a health facility near Yaoundé, where a baby girl named Daniella received the first jab.
This momentous occasion marks a significant step forward in the battle against malaria, a disease that claims the lives of an estimated 600,000 people annually in Africa, as reported by the World Health Organization.
Children under the age of five account for at least 80% of these tragic deaths.
Cameroon’s commitment to combating malaria is evident in its decision to offer the RTS,S vaccine free of charge to all infants up to six months old.
This bold move underscores the country’s dedication to protecting its youngest citizens from the devastating impact of malaria.
Cameroon is offering the RTS,S vaccine free of charge to all infants up to the age of six months old.
Patients require a total of four doses.
The jab is known to be effective in at least 36% of cases, according to US researchers, meaning it could save over one in three lives.
While the rollout is undoubtedly a relief and a life-saver, its relatively low efficacy rate means that it is not a “silver bullet”, argues Willis Akhwale at End Malaria Council Kenya.
But for medics it is an important “additional tool” in the fight against malaria, says Cameroonian doctor Shalom Ndoula who helped to lead the rollout in his country.
“We have a capacity to considerably reduce the number of cases and deaths from malaria and accelerate the elimination of the disease,” he told the BBC.
Development of the RTS,S vaccine has taken 30 years of research by the British drug-maker GSK.
The World Health Organization, which approved the vaccine, hailed the launch in Cameroon as a historic moment in the global fight against the mosquito-borne disease.
