Côte d’Ivoire Begins New Malaria Vaccine Campaign for Children

Health workers in Côte d’Ivoire have begun vaccinating children with the world’s second vaccine for malaria on Monday, becoming the first country to roll out the new R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine, developed by Britain’s Oxford University.

The three-dose vaccine, authorised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) last October, aims to cover about 250,000 children under two.

Research suggests the vaccine is more than 75% effective at preventing severe malaria and death in the first year, with protection extending for at least another year with a booster.

The WHO had endorsed the first malaria vaccine, Mosquirix, by GSK, a biopharma company, in 2021, but it requires four doses, and its protection fades within months. GSK also reported they could only make about 15 million doses. In contrast, India’s Serum Institute has already produced 25 million doses of the Oxford vaccine and plans to manufacture at least 100 million doses annually at about $4 per dose.

Malaria causes roughly 249 million cases and 608,000 deaths globally each year, with over 94 per cent of these in Africa. The disease mainly affects children under five and pregnant women.

Côte d’Ivoire’s health minister, Pierre Demba, said the vaccination campaign demonstrates the government’s commitment to investing in the health of the country’s children, adding that “They are the future of our country.”

Oxford University’s Adrian Hill stated that the launch in Côte d’Ivoire marked the beginning of a “new era in malaria control” and expressed hope that the vaccine would soon be available to all African countries that wish to use it.

Nevertheless, experts have been warning that malaria vaccines alone are not enough to stop the spread of the disease. Other measures, such as insecticide spraying, improved treatments, and the use of bed nets, remain essential in curbing malaria spread.

The Gavi vaccine alliance, which supports vaccine access in poor countries, said other nations, including the Central African Republic, Chad, and South Sudan, have also received the new R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine supplies.

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