SII ships first set of malaria vaccine doses to Africa

Sub: Science and tech

Sec: Health

Context:

Serum Institute of India (SII) marked a significant milestone on Monday with the shipment of the first set of R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine to seven-eight countries in Africa.

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Close to half-a-million children die of malaria each year in the African region, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
SII has entered into a partnership with Novovax, University of Oxford and the United States government.
1,63,800 doses were allocated for the Central African Republic (CAR) region and 43,200 doses were dispatched from the SII facility.
The initial shipment will be sent to CAR, followed by other African countries such as South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the coming days.

What is Malaria?

Malaria is a life threatening mosquito borne blood disease caused by plasmodium parasites.
It is predominantly found in the tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, South America as well as Asia.
The parasites spread through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
After entering the human body, parasites initially multiply within the liver cells and then attack the Red Blood Cells (RBCs) resulting in their rupture.
There are5 parasite species that cause malaria in humans, and 2 of these species – Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax – pose the greatest threat.
Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness.
It is preventable as well as curable.

What is the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine?

The low-cost, high-efficacy R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine is developed by the University of Oxford and SII leveraging Novavax’s adjuvant technology.
The vaccine has demonstrated high efficacy with a reassuring safety profile and the R21//Matrix-M vaccine is the second malaria vaccine to be authorized for use in children in malaria-endemic regions.
On a vaccine for India, it was pointed out that the particular parasite (found in Africa) was not in India.
It will take another five years for a malaria vaccine, for India.