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Milestone in malaria battle as £3 vaccine is rolled out across Africa which could eradicate killer, mosquito-borne illness within 10 years
African babies are set to receive a £3 malaria vaccine that could potentially eradicate the disease within a decade.
The first doses of the R21 jab, developed by a team at the University of Oxford, will be given to babies under the age of two in the Ivory Coast today and South Sudan tomorrow (Tuesday).
It marks the culmination of 30 years of research into a vaccine against malaria, which kills more than 600,000 people a year - most of them in Africa and 80 per cent under the age of five.
The Serum Institute, who manufacture the vaccine, have already made 25 million doses and has the capacity to increase production to 100 million a year.
The only other malaria vaccine, a jab called RTS,S, was introduced earlier this year but is twice as expensive and limited by manufacturing constraints.
African babies will receive a £3 malaria vaccine that could eradicate malaria within a decade
The first doses of the R21 jab, developed by a team at the University of Oxford, will be given to babies under the age of two in the Ivory Coast today and South Sudan tomorrow (Tuesday)
'A malaria-free world is finally in sight,' Adar Poonawalle, chief executive of the Serum Institute in India, told the Sunday Times.
'Cost is absolutely the key question. If this was a $10 (£7.90) vaccine, just forget it - you wouldn't be able to reach the kind of countries we have because the budgets just wouldn't allow it.'
Fifteen countries in Africa including the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Ghana, Mozambique, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Burundi and Nigeria are expected to introduce the vaccine by the end of the year.
Another 15 nations are due to follow.
The new vaccine - funded by Gavi, a global vaccination alliance of charities, the World Health Organisation and governments including the UK's - is approved for children up to the age of three.
Sir Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute at Oxford, was involved in developing both the Astra-Zeneca Covid vaccine and the new malaria jab.
He said: 'I've been doing work on malaria vaccines since 1994. It's been long awaited, but here we finally are.
'For the first time, really in the last couple of years, eradication is beginning to look really credible.
The malaria vaccine arrives in South Sudan, as 15 countries across Africa including the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Ghana, Mozambique, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Burundi and Nigeria are expected to introduce it by the end of the year
'I think the whole thing is doable, not in the next five years, but maybe in the next 10.'
In trials, the vaccine has been shown to be up to 79 per cent effective at preventing the most deadly strain of malaria - and the most common in Africa - in young children.
It works by targeting the parasite that causes the disease.
Trials to see if it is effective for pregnant women are expected to begin in the coming weeks.
Malaria is one of the world's biggest killers, claiming the life of a child every two minutes, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)
Malaria is a life-threatening tropical disease spread by mosquitoes.
It is one of the world's biggest killers, claiming the life of a child every two minutes, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Most of these deaths occur in Africa, where 250,000 youngsters die from the disease every year.
Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, of which five cause malaria.
The Plasmodium parasite is mainly spread by female Anopheles mosquitoes.
When an infected mosquito bites a person, the parasite enters their bloodstream.
Symptoms include:
- Fever
- Feeling hot and shivery
- Headaches
- Vomiting
- Muscle pain
- Diarrhoea
These usually appear between a week and 18 days of infection, but can taken up to a year or occasionally even more.
People should seek medical attention immediately if they develop symptoms during or after visiting a malaria-affected area.
Malaria is found in more than 100 countries, including:
- Large areas of Africa and Asia
- Central and South America
- Haiti and the Dominican Republic
- Parts of the Middle East
- Some Pacific Islands
A blood test confirms a diagnosis.
In very rare cases, malaria can be spread via blood transfusions.
For the most part, malaria can be avoided by using insect repellent, wearing clothes that cover your limbs and using an insecticide-treated mosquito net.
Malaria prevention tablets are also often recommended.
Treatment, which involves anti-malaria medication, usually leads to a full recovery if done early enough.
Untreated, the infection can result in severe anaemia. This occurs when the parasites enter red blood cells, which then rupture and reduce the number of the cells overall.
And cerebral malaria can occur when the small blood vessels in the brain become blocked, leading to seizures, brain damage and even coma.
Source: NHS Choices