First-Ever Malaria Vaccine: 12 African Countries To Receive 18 Million Doses In The Next Two Years

These 12 African countries are set to receive the first doses of the malaria vaccine during the last quarter of 2023 and start administering it to children by early 2024.

Malaria is one of the leading causes of death on the African continent, which accounted for approximately 95 per cent of global malaria cases and 96 per cent of deaths in 2021. The disease killed nearly half a million children under the age of 5 in 2021. Malaria can be prevented and treated, yet a child under 5 years old dies of malaria nearly every minute, according to UNICEF. The roll-out of the first-ever malaria vaccine is expected to reduce the burden of malaria, especially in Africa.

In 2019, the world’s first malaria vaccine (RTS, S/AS01) was first rolled out in three African countries namely Ghana, Kenya and Malawi through the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP) supported by the World Health Organization. So far, more than 1.7 million children in these countries have been administered the vaccine and it has been found to be safe and effective, resulting in substantial reduction in severe malaria cases and child deaths.

According to WHO, at least 28 African countries are willing to receive the malaria vaccine. In response to this high demand, Gavi, WHO and UNICEF have jointly decided to allocate a total of 18 million doses of the malaria vaccine to 12 countries in Africa over the next two years (for the 2023 2025 period).

The 12 African countries selected for roll out of malaria vaccine

Besides Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, the malaria vaccine will be introduced to nine more African countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone and Uganda. These countries will be including the malaria vaccine to their routine immunization programmes.

They are expected to receive the first doses of the vaccine during the last quarter of 2023 and start its administration by early 2024.

Thabani Maphosa, Managing Director of Country Programmes Delivery at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, stated that the vaccine can be very effective in the fight against malaria and preventing deaths, when used broadly alongside other interventions.

Dr Kate O’Brien, WHO Director of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, noted that children at highest risk of dying of malaria will be given priority during the first allocation of malaria vaccine doses for the 2023 2025 period, and increase supply until all children at risk have access.

Increasing global demand for malaria vaccines

According to Gavi, WHO and UNICEF, the annual global demand for malaria vaccines is expected to reach 40 60 million doses in 2026, and further increase to 80 100 million doses each year by 2030.

The RTS,S/AS01 vaccine is developed and produced by Britain’s Pharma major GSK. In January 2021, GSK and India’s Bharat Biotech signed a product transfer agreement for the malaria vaccine. In the future, Bharat Biotech is slated to be the sole global manufacturer and supplier of the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine, the first malaria vaccine approved by WHO.

Another malaria vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, is also expected to be approved by WHO soon. It is developed by Oxford University and manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII).