Is the malaria vaccination campaign progressing in West Africa?

The Ivory Coast has received the first doses of the malaria vaccine from the Serum Institute of India, in partnership with the University of Oxford, and began a new vaccination campaign across the country earlier this week.

Malaria remains a major health issue in the Ivory Coast, resulting in up to four deaths daily in a population of 28 million. According to a 2022 report from the World Health Organization (WHO), malaria causes over 600,000 deaths globally each year, with 95% of cases occurring in Africa, and 80% of those in children under five.

The arguments

The Ivory Coast has received 656,600 doses of the new R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine. Initially, 250,000 children from newborn to 23 months will be vaccinated across 16 regions, the government announced.

This initiative was made possible through collaboration with the Serum Institute of India due to its capability to mass-produce millions of vaccines at a low cost. Following the Ivory Coast, the vaccination campaign will expand to other African countries, starting with Burkina Faso.

Gavi, an international health organization working with WHO and UNICEF, reported that 15 African countries plan to introduce malaria vaccines in 2024. These countries aim to vaccinate about 6.6 million children in 2024 and 2025.

Health workers are administering doses of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine, the second malaria vaccine to have been approved by the WHO in December last year.

R21/Matrix-M represents the culmination of 30 years of collaborative research and development by the University of Oxford Jenner Institute and, since 2017, in partnership with the Serum Institute of India. The WHO and local health authorities are also delivering shots of the Mosquirix vaccine, also known as the RTS,S malaria vaccine, to more than 2.3 million children across Africa this year.

This vaccine has been primarily introduced in Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, focusing on children aged five months and older in regions with a significant prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

The facts

Research suggests R21/Matrix-M can reduce symptomatic malaria cases by 75% in a community in the 12 months following a three-dose series, with efficacy sustained by a fourth dose administered a year later.

The R21 vaccine uses adjuvant technology, which enhances the immune response to the vaccine, allowing protection from future infections of a disease.

The vaccine is designed to specifically target the sporozoite stage of the malaria parasite. This is the initial form of the parasite that enters the human body when bitten by a mosquito. By focusing on this stage it helps to boost the immune system’s response, leading to higher efficacy in preventing malaria. In addition, the vaccine can prevent the parasite from infecting the liver and causing illness.

The Serum Institute of India, which was responsible for delivering more than 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines around the world, is capable of producing 100 to 200 million doses annually, making it more cost-effective and accessible.

It will also be made available in several other African countries. The new vaccine has been authorised by Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic, and many others are preparing to receive shipments.

The goal set by the WHO Global Malaria Programme (GMP) is to reduce cases of malaria by 90% by 2030.

According to the WHO, however, some challenges remain. Countries, subnational areas and communities are situated at different points along the path towards malaria elimination, and their rate of progress will differ depending on the level of investment, biological determinants (related to the affected populations, the parasites and the vectors), environmental factors, strength of health systems, and social, demographic, political and economic realities.