Three African countries to take part in malaria vaccine programme

The World Health Organisation Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO) has announced that Ghana, Kenya and Malawi will take part in the malaria vaccine pilot implementation programme starting in 2018.

RTS,S, an injectable vaccine which was developed for the protection of young children from the most deadly form of malaria, will be assessed in this pilot scheme. It will be made available as a complementary malaria control rule in the aforementioned-African countries. Developed by GSK, RTS,S is the first malaria vaccine to have successfully completed a Phase III clinical trial.

“The prospect of a malaria vaccine is great news,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa. “Information gathered in the pilot will help us to make decisions on the wider use of this vaccine. Combined with existing malaria interventions, such a vaccine would have the potential to save tens of thousands of lives in Africa.”

This pilot programme will examine the efficacy of the vaccine in children aged between five and 17 months old and will determine if the results gained in the Phase III clinical trial are achievable in a real-world setting. Additionally, the feasibility of delivery of the vaccine will be tested — four doses are required per patient. Its potential role in reducing childhood deaths and its safety in the context of routing use will also be assessed.

The vaccine will be administered to patients via intramuscular injection and can be accessed through the routine national immunisation programmes. WHO is working with the three countries to facilitate regulatory authorisation of the vaccine for use in the pilots through the African Vaccine Regulatory Forum (AVAREF).