TheCable

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that the world’s first malaria vaccine will be introduced to Ghana, Kenya and Malawi in 2018.

In a statement released on Monday, WHO said the vaccine, which is called Mosquirix, trains the immune system to attack the malaria parasite, which is spread through mosquito bites.

The organisation said the vaccine, developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives.

“The prospect of a malaria vaccine is great news. Information gathered in the pilot programme will help us make decisions on the wider use of this vaccine,” said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa.

“Combined with existing malaria interventions, such a vaccine would have the potential to save tens of thousands of lives in Africa.”

“About 750,000 children aged between five and 17 months will be involved in the vaccination pilot, with getting the vaccine in order to compare its real-world effectiveness.

“In this age group, the four doses have been shown to prevent nearly four in ten cases of malaria but the benefits fall off significantly without the fourth dose.”

WHO said Ghana, Kenya and Malawi were chosen because they already run large programmes to tackle malaria, including the use of bed nets, yet still have high numbers of cases.

It added each of the countries will decide how to run the vaccination pilots, but high-risk areas are likely to be prioritised.

Africa is the hardest hit and most of the deaths are in children.

The projcet is funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Unitaid, WHO and GSK.