Second anti-malaria vaccine for children approved by WHO

Second anti-malaria vaccine for children approved by WHO

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Health

Context:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) on October 2, 2023, approved a second anti-malaria vaccine for children.
• The vaccine has been developed by the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

About the Malaria vaccine:

• Vaccine name: R21/Matrix-M vaccine.
• It will be rolled out in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Nigeria in early 2024. And then other African countries by the end of 2024.
• The first vaccine approved by WHO in 2021 was RTS,S/AS01 vaccine.
• WHO has given its approval to the vaccine on the advice of two expert groups: Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) and the Malaria Policy Advisory Group.
• Both vaccines are shown to be safe and effective in preventing malaria in children and are expected to have high public health impact.
• WHO also recommended Takeda Pharmaceuticals’ vaccine against dengue for children aged six to 16 living in areas where the infection is a significant public health problem.
• SAGE also recommended that all countries in the African “meningitis belt” introduce what it described as (Men5CV) into their routine immunisation programmes. A single dose scheduled at nine to 18 months of age should fight the disease.

Malaria:

• 25 April: World Malaria Day
• Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
• It is preventable and curable. There are 5 parasite species that cause malaria in humans, and 2 of these species – Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax – pose the greatest threat.
• There were an estimated 247 million cases of malaria in 2021, and the estimated number of malaria deaths stood at 619 000. The WHO African Region carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. In 2020, the region was home to 95% and 96% of malaria cases and deaths, respectively.
• Children under 5 years of age are the most vulnerable group affected by malaria; in 2021, they accounted for nearly 80% of all malaria deaths in the WHO African Region.

IA2030:

• The World Health Assembly, with the support of countries and partners, has endorsed a new global vision and strategy, called the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030), to address these challenges over the next decade and save over 50 million lives.
• IA2030 envisions a world where everyone, everywhere, at every age, fully benefits from vaccines to improve health and well-being. It aims to maintain hard-won gains in immunization, recover from the disruptions caused by COVID-19, and achieve even more – by leaving no one behind, in any situation or at any stage of life.

Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE):

• The SAGE was established by the Director-General of the World Health Organization in 1999 to provide guidance on the work of WHO.
• SAGE is the principal advisory group to WHO for vaccines and immunization. It is charged with advising WHO on overall global policies and strategies, ranging from vaccines and technology, research and development, to delivery of immunization and its linkages with other health interventions.
• SAGE is concerned not just with childhood vaccines and immunization, but all vaccine-preventable diseases.
• SAGE meets at least twice a year, with working groups established for detailed review of specific topics prior to discussion by the full group. Priorities of work and meeting agendas are developed by the Group in consultation with WHO.
• UNICEF, the Secretariat of the GAVI Alliance, and WHO Regional Offices participate as observers in SAGE meetings and deliberations.

Global Vaccine Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI):

• GAVI was set up as a Global Health Partnership in 2000 with the goal of creating equal access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest countries.
• GAVI aims at accelerating access to vaccines, strengthening countries’ health and immunization systems, and introducing innovative new immunization technology.
• Since GAVI’s inception, it has subsequently supported the immunization of an additional 326 million children and prevented a potential 5.5 million deaths.
• While the Gavi Secretariat oversees the day-to-day operations of the Vaccine Alliance, the Board is responsible for giving strategic direction and policy-making.
• The Board has 18 “representative” seats, 9 seats for independent or “unaffiliated” individuals, and one seat for Gavi’s CEO.
  • UNICEF, WHO, the World Bank, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation hold permanent seats.
  • Constituency representatives serve on a time-limited basis.
  • Independent Board members are private individuals with no professional connection to Gavi’s work. They bring independent and balanced scrutiny to all of the Board’s deliberations. These individuals also provide expertise in a number of critical areas such as investment, auditing, and fundraising.
  • Two-thirds of the voting members of the Board are representatives from key Vaccine Alliance partner institutions and stakeholders (each such representative a “representative Board member”) and one-third of its voting members are independent (or unaffiliated) individuals who are appointed in their personal capacity on the basis of their skills and networks.