Ivory Coast receives first doses of malaria vaccine

Côte d'Ivoire received its first doses of vaccine this week against malaria, which kills four people a day, including three children under the age of five in the country, the government announced in a press release seen on Saturday, June 29.

In total, 656,600 doses have been received, which “will initially allow 250,000 children aged 0 to 23 months to be vaccinated” in 16 regions, according to the government.

In addition, the vaccine is included in the “new childhood vaccination schedule” and will be given in “4 doses (…) at 6 months, 8 months, 9 months and 15 months.”

It has been specifically licensed for use by the authorities of Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic.

Although the number of deaths linked to malaria in Côte d'Ivoire has decreased from 3,222 in 2017 to 1,316 in 2020, the disease “remains the main cause of medical consultations,” according to the Ministry of Health.

Côte d'Ivoire is also organising the distribution of mosquito nets and spraying insecticides in endemic areas.

Malaria is an ancient disease that causes fever, headache and chills, and can be serious and even fatal if left untreated. In 2022, it killed more than 600,000 people worldwide: 95% of them in Africa, including 80% of children under the age of five, according to the World Health Organization.

The vaccine in question is R21/Matrix-M, the second malaria vaccine for children recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) after RTS,S. It is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII).

With AFP