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World Affairs, Science & Tech.
Mahesh

16/03/23 07:23 AM IST

Rwanda gets continent’s first unit for mRNA vaccine production

In News
  • Rwanda is now the first in Africa to have an mRNA vaccine production facility.
mRNA Factories
  • The mRNA vaccine facility in Rwanda is made up of six mobile factories called Biontainers.
  • They were developed by the German pharmaceutical company BioNTech.
  • The facility is capable of producing a maximum of 50 million doses of vaccines per annum.
  • The modular system of the Biontainers consists of two modules, each made up of six containers.
  • In the first module, mRNA is produced and purified. In the second, it is made into a vaccine.
  • This system will allow end-to-end mRNA vaccine production in Africa for the first time.
mRNA Vaccines
  • mRNA is a type of RNA that is necessary for protein production.
  • mRNA vaccines work by introducing a piece that corresponds to a viral protein.
  • The mRNA instructs cells to produce that protein, which triggers an immune response. The body then produces antibodies to fight off the virus if it encounters it in the future.
  • The significance of the mRNA vaccines is that they can be developed more quickly than traditional vaccines.
  • mRNA vaccines have shown high efficacy against COVID-19 and are being widely used across the world.
  • The mRNA vaccine facility will also help to increase Africa’s contribution to global science and pandemic preparedness.
Source- DTE

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