With approximately 249 million cases of malaria and 622,000 deaths worldwide in 2022, the majority of victims being children under five, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, the urgency of combating this disease is undeniable. Cameroon is positioning itself at the forefront of public health with the rollout of a new malaria vaccine since January 22, 2024.
The recent introduction of RTS,S/AS01 vaccine, The introduction of the Mosquirix vaccine in Cameroon marks a major breakthrough. Developed by GSK, this vaccine was the first to receive WHO approval for malaria control, after demonstrating moderate protective efficacy against symptomatic malaria in clinical trials.
The WHO has also given its approval to another vaccine, the R21/Matrix-M in December 2023, which displayed an impressive efficacy of 75% against symptomatic malaria in areas where transmission is strongly seasonal.
The launch of Mosquirix in Cameroon represents a historic event in the global fight against malaria. This vaccine has been shown to reduce all-cause mortality by 131 per 1,000 children who receive it.
At a time when mosquitoes have become resistant to insecticides and the parasite that causes malaria is resistant to antimalarial drugs, the deployment of Mosquirix in Cameroon represents new hope. With the continued adoption of these vaccines in other African countries, the future of malaria prevention looks promising.
Issatou Bella Diallo