Countries offered support for malaria vaccine
The World Health Organization and the international vaccine alliance, Gavi, have invited countries to apply for funding to roll out the recently approved Malaria vaccine.
How much can they access?
The initial rollout will be funded with $155.7m from the Gavi alliance between 2022 and 2025. According to the WHO, at least 100 million doses may be required annually to safeguard the 25 million children born in Africa each year. It will be years before any doses are made, despite intentions to transfer the technology to an Indian pharmaceutical company. The World Health Organization endorsed the four-dose shot, stating that it might save thousands of lives.
Has the vaccine been proven to prevent the disease? The four-dose vaccine, a product of GlaxoSmithKline and sold under the name Mosquirix, is about 30% effective. Despite questions from some experts over its low efficacy, the WHO approved the vaccine in October 2021 as a “historic” breakthrough in the fight against the malaria disease, which affects millions of people globally every year. The Gates Foundation has said it will discontinue direct financial support to the shot but will fund an alliance backing the vaccine.
How does 30% efficacy protect against the disease?
Caused by parasites that are transmitted through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, Malaria is a deadly, but preventable and curable disease. The vaccine is said to offer some protection against the disease by inducing antibodies against malaria parasites that have entered the blood, limiting the ability of the parasites to mature in the liver and cause the disease.
