4 Things to Know About the 1st Ever Malaria Vaccine Just Approved by Who After 30 Years of Research
The fight against the deadly malaria disease has taken a positive dimension as the World Health Organization recently announced the approval of the first ever vaccine.
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Source: UGC
The newly endorsed malaria vaccine is a product of 30 years of dedicated research and is set to come in handy in the war against the disease that claimed 409,000 deaths in 2019 alone with 229 million cases same period.
Briefly News highlights 4 important things to take into account as regards the new vaccine.
1. Its name and target users
The name of the new first ever malaria endorsed for use by WHO is called RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) malaria vaccine.
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According to the apex health organization, it is to be administered on children in Sub-Saharan Africa and other regions with moderate to high P. falciparum malaria transmission, WHO official website indicates.
2. Its dosage
It is recommended that the vaccine is to be given in schedule of four doses to children from five months of age to ensure a reduction in the disease burden on its hosts.
WHO reports that the vaccine has presented impressive results in areas it has been administered so far with 30% reduction deadly severe malaria.
It has also been effective in regions where people have insecticide-treated nets as well as good access to diagnosis and treatment.
3. Target areas for administration
WHO confirms that the vaccines have been administered in 3 African countries already.
It is said that the pilot programme will continue in countries as Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi in order to ascertain its long-term impacts on child deaths.
4. Number of doses administered so far
New York Times indicates that so far more than 800, 000 children have received the vaccine in the affected regions and over 2.3 million doses have been administered.
It is expected that the numbers go up as administration of the vaccines intensifies.
Vooma vaccination drive yields 'nearly 2 times' number of daily doses
Meanwhile, the government hoped to vaccinate about half a million people across South Africa at the inaugural Vooma Vaccination Campaign at the weekend.
Although the target was not achieved, the presidency in a statement said it was pleased with the more than 350 000 people who queued up at various vaccination sites to receive a Covid-19 jab.
Source: Briefly News
Maryn Blignaut (Human-Interest HOD) Maryn Blignaut is the Human Interest manager and feature writer. She holds a BA degree in Communication Science, which she obtained from the University of South Africa in 2016. She joined the Briefly - South African News team shortly after graduating and has over six years of experience in the journalism field. Maryn passed the AFP Digital Investigation Techniques course (Google News Initiative), as well as a set of trainings for journalists by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at: maryn.blignaut@briefly.co.za
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
