Cameroon launched the world’s first routine malaria vaccine campaign for children

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that malaria – a parasite spread by mosquitoes – infected 250M people in 2021

Africa accounted for 95% of those cases and 96% of related deaths

Children under the age of five are thought to make up 80%+ of all malaria-related deaths

To date, the WHO has certified 43 countries as malaria-free, meaning they have broken the domestic chain of transmission for at least three years

Three African countries – Mauritius, Algeria, and Cape Verde – once had the disease but have since eradicated it

Those countries did so through comprehensive screening, tracking, and treatment programs

In 2022, the WHO endorsed the world’s first malaria vaccine, which was developed by British pharma company GSK

Last year, it approved a second vaccine, developed by Oxford

The GSK vaccine, “RTS,S,” has shown signs of being effective: In trials in Kenya, Ghana, and Malawi, the vaccine caused a 13% decline in malaria deaths among children, the UN reported

On Monday, Cameroon – a Central African country of 27M people that records 4,000+ malaria deaths annually – began the world’s first malaria vaccine rollout for children

Authorities are offering the vaccine free to all infants up to six months old and hope to vaccinate a total of 250,000 children by 2025

Cameroon is one of 20+ countries that plan to roll out a malaria vaccine program this year

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