Second malaria vaccine introduced in Ivory Coast to enhance prevention efforts
Ivory Coast has become the second country in the world to introduce a routine vaccination program using the R21 malaria vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
The introduction of the WHO-approved vaccine comes six months after the roll out of the first malaria vaccine, RTS,S, developed by GSK, in a routine program in Cameroon.
Ivory Coast has received 656,600 doses of the Oxford/ Serum vaccine, which will initially vaccinate 250,000 children aged 0-23 months, with more countries expected to commence similar moves.
Fifteen African countries, including Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and the Central African Republic, plan to introduce malaria vaccines in 2024, with support from Gavi.
The introduction of a second malaria vaccine is a significant step forward in the global effort to combat malaria, but experts warn that demand is likely to exceed supply for years to come.
Despite this challenge, having multiple safe and effective vaccines is crucial to meeting the need.
The vaccine will be used in conjunction with existing tools like bed nets to fight malaria, which claims the lives of nearly 500,000 children under five in Africa annually.
The Serum Institute of India has produced an initial 25 million doses of the malaria vaccine for the launch in Ivory Coast and plans to ramp up production to 100 million doses per year.
The company is committed to providing affordable vaccines, pricing the shot at under $4 per dose, aligning with its mission to make vaccines accessible at scale.
