Ghana has become the first country in world to approve a new malaria vaccine called called R21. Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority has approved the vaccine’s use in children aged between five months to three years old.
- R21 – appears to be hugely effective, in stark contrast to previous ventures in the same field.
- Ghana’s drug regulators have assessed the final trial data on the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness, which is not yet public, and have decided to use it.
- The World Health Organization is also considering approving the vaccine.
- The vaccine has been developed at Oxford University and the Serum Institute of India is preparing to produce between 100-200 million doses per year, with a vaccine factory being constructed in Accra, Ghana.
In October 2021, WHO had also recommended the use of the RTS,S vaccine for children living in areas with moderate and high transmission of malaria.
About Malaria
- Malaria is an acute febrile illness caused by Plasmodium parasites, which are spread to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable.
- Malaria is not contagious and cannot spread from one person to another; the disease is transmitted through the bites of female Anopheles mosquitoes. Five species of parasites can cause malaria in humans and 2 of these species – Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax – pose the greatest threat. There are over 400 different species of Anopheles mosquitoes and around 40, known as vector species, can transmit the disease.
- Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are the most effective antimalarial medicines available today .
