Africa has reached a significant milestone in its battle against malaria, with nearly 10 million vaccine doses administered across the continent in the first year of a routine immunization program, the Gavi Vaccine Alliance confirmed on Wednesday.
Malaria, a mosquito-borne disease, remains a leading cause of death in Africa, claiming nearly 600,000 lives annually. Children are particularly vulnerable, accounting for the majority of deaths from the disease, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The initiative follows a successful pilot phase from 2019 to 2023, which saw over two million children in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi vaccinated with the RTS,S malaria vaccine. The pilot resulted in notable declines in severe cases, hospitalizations, and a 13% reduction in malaria-related mortality, prompting WHO to recommend RTS,S alongside the R21/Matrix-M vaccines as part of the global malaria eradication effort.
Building on the success of the pilot, routine malaria vaccination was rolled out in 17 African countries, with Cameroon being the first to implement the program in January 2024. Gavi, which supports the vaccine distribution, reports that over 9.8 million doses have been delivered so far, providing partial protection to approximately 5 million children.
The vaccination program aims to administer four doses to each child, prioritizing the highest-risk populations. Early results from Cameroon are encouraging, showing a reduction in child mortality rates. Gavi’s Chief Executive, Sania Nishtar, highlighted the importance of these gains in high-burden countries like Cameroon, where malaria kills over 13,000 people each year and accounts for nearly 30% of hospital visits.
Despite a rise in global malaria cases — from 252 million in 2022 to 263 million in 2023 — the number of deaths has slightly decreased from 600,000 in 2022 to 597,000 last year. WHO attributes over half of these fatalities to four countries: Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, and Tanzania. Children under five years old are disproportionately affected, making up 76% of malaria deaths in Africa.
Looking ahead, Gavi plans to extend the vaccination program to eight additional African countries in 2024, with the aim of protecting an additional 13 million children. By 2030, the organization aims to safeguard 50 million more children with four doses of the malaria vaccine.