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Mahesh

28/01/24 06:35 AM IST

Malaria Vaccine

In News
  • Recently Cameroon in Africa became the first country in the world to launch the RTS, S malaria vaccine for children into its routine national immunisation services.
Malaria burden around the world
  • Malaria is one of the biggest killers of children under five across the world and according to WHO data, more than 30 countries have areas with moderate to high malaria transmission.
  • Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bite of the infected female Anopheles mosquito. It is preventable and curable.
  • In 2022, nearly half of the world’s population was at risk of malaria.
  • According to the WHO’s World Malaria Report 2023, while Africa bears the highest malaria burden, accounting for 94% of cases and 95% of global malaria deaths in 2022, India in 2022, accounted for a staggering 66% of malaria cases in the WHO South-East Asia Region.
  • India and Indonesia accounted for about 94% of all malaria deaths in the WHO South-East Asia Region.
  • Despite a 55% reduction in cases since 2015, India remains a significant contributor to the global malaria burden.
  • The Health Ministry said that over the past 15 years, India has made progress in reducing its malaria burden. It has a vision for a malaria-free country by 2027 and elimination by 2030.
Funding of the vaccine
  • The current rollout is part of a UNICEF initiative where the contract for the first-ever supply of a malaria vaccine was given to British multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company GSK with a value of up to $170 million.
  • UNICEF adds that the RTS,S malaria vaccine is the result of 35 years of research and development and is the first-ever vaccine against a parasitic disease.
  • The vaccine acts against Plasmodium falciparum, the most deadly malaria parasite globally.
  • This is to be manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, which aims to make 100 million doses per year, so long as it passes the regulatory approvals following its recommendation for use by the WHO last year.
Schedule of vaccine doses
  • The vaccine, as per WHO, should be provided in a schedule of four doses in children from around five months of age.
  • It further adds that a 5th dose, given one year after dose 4, may be considered in areas where there is a significant malaria risk remaining in children a year after receiving dose 4.
  • The current vaccine works well with the malaria control interventions recommended by WHO including insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor residual spraying of insecticides, rapid diagnosis and treatment etc.
  • While India will have to wait for the vaccination to be introduced here with no date set as of now, the vaccine is currently for areas with highly seasonal malaria or areas with perennial malaria transmission with seasonal peaks; countries may consider providing the vaccine using an age-based administration, seasonal administration, or a hybrid of these approaches.
Challenges
  • Experts say climate change emerges as a major driver, affecting malaria transmission and overall burden.
  • Changing climate conditions enhance the sensitivity of the malaria pathogen and vector, facilitating its spread.
  • WHO emphasises the substantial risk climate change poses to malaria progress, necessitating sustainable and resilient responses.
  • As the climate changes, vulnerable corners of South East Asia face a growing threat of malaria.
  • Rising temperatures let mosquitoes spread to new turf, while warmer, more humid conditions help the parasite prosper inside the bug.
  • Regions like eastern India, the hill tracts of Bangladesh, parts of Myanmar, and Indonesian Papua already grapple with malaria. 
Source- The Hindu

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