Cameroon Starts World-First Malaria Mass Vaccine Rollout

Cameroon has launched the world’s first systematic malaria vaccination scheme.

Children in Cameroon will receive malaria vaccines as part of a rollout of the medicine manufactured by UK pharmaceutical company GSK in up to 12 Sub-Saharan African countries.

Cameroon provides the RTS, S vaccination free of charge to all infants under the age of six months.

Patients need a total of four doses. According to health officials, they will be administered concurrently with other normal childhood immunisations to make things easier for parents.

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“The vaccination will save lives, it will provide major relief for families and the country’s health system and it will also be yielding important economic dividends,” said Aurélia Nguyen, chief programme officer at Gavi, the global vaccine alliance that is working with African countries to co-ordinate the rollout.

This follows successful test programmes in Kenya, Ghana, and Malawi, where the vaccine reduced malaria fatalities by 13% among children of eligible age, according to Unicef.

According to US experts, the jab is successful in at least 36% of cases, potentially saving more than one in every three lives.

Malaria affects around 40 million children, and in 2021, children under the age of five accounted for 80% of cases recorded in Africa.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli