By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Starr FmStarr FmStarr Fm
  • Home
  • Election Hub
  • General
    GeneralShow More
    NDC thugs incite violence at Ablekuma North rerun – Minority alleges
    July 11, 2025
    Police complicit in Ablekuma North attacks – Minority Caucus claims
    July 11, 2025
    Ablekuma North rerun: Come in peace or face equal force – Osman Ayariga warns
    July 11, 2025
    Ablekuma North rerun: Justice must prevail – GJA president condemns attack on journalists
    July 11, 2025
    Fiifi Kwetey urges calm, says violence against Hawa Koomson is unacceptable
    July 11, 2025
  • Business
    BusinessShow More
    Mayekoo doubles donations to African causes with new matching fund campaign 
    July 10, 2025
    Government inaugurates new NIB board, announces plan to recapitalise bank
    July 9, 2025
    Ghana’s gold now powers cedi stability – President Mahama
    July 8, 2025
    VRA sets the benchmark in African public procurement
    July 8, 2025
    IMF Executive Board approves $370 million disbursement for Ghana
    July 7, 2025
  • Politics
    PoliticsShow More
    Ablekuma North: NDC makes history after Ewurabena Aubynn wins rerun
    July 11, 2025
    NDC thugs incite violence at Ablekuma North rerun – Minority alleges
    July 11, 2025
    Police complicit in Ablekuma North attacks – Minority Caucus claims
    July 11, 2025
    Ablekuma North Rerun: NDC leads as counting is underway
    July 11, 2025
    NPP’s Amfo Sefa threatens violence ahead of Akwatia by-election
    July 11, 2025
  • Entertainment
    EntertainmentShow More
    Sim Majorley: Korea, Ghana to share cultures through stage production
    July 11, 2025
    I took a pause to gather strength- Kwesi Slay
    July 8, 2025
    Kinaata questions TGMA credibility over ‘Record of the Year’ snub
    July 7, 2025
    Ghana grows movie premiere ignites new thinking among youth in Ashaiman
    July 7, 2025
    “I will feature Sarkodie at the right time” – Kofi Kinaata
    July 6, 2025
  • Sports
    SportsShow More
    Tottenham secure Mohammed Kudus in high-profile transfer deal
    July 10, 2025
    Ghana, Nigeria share spoils in thrilling opener of 2025 WAFU U20 Boys Cup
    July 10, 2025
    Otumfuo rallies mining sector to support revamp of Ashanti sports facilities
    July 10, 2025
    Liverpool’s Ambitious Summer: Chairman Predicts Big Moves as Champions Build a Stronger Squad
    July 10, 2025
    Kofi Adams undertakes inspection of Baba Yara Stadium
    July 9, 2025
  • Technology
    TechnologyShow More
    Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7: A pocket-sized AI powerhouse with a new edge-to-edge flexwindow
    July 10, 2025
    Real Quantum Dot Technology in Samsung QLED TVs
    June 29, 2025
    GCAA and South Korea sign deal to advance Ghana’s Drone sector
    June 25, 2025
    Onafriq, PAPSS partner to launch cross-border payment services in Ghana 
    June 20, 2025
    Yellow Card, Visa partner to accelerate stablecoin adoption across emerging economies
    June 19, 2025
  • International
    InternationalShow More
    47th AU Forum: Ablakwa criticizes $1.2m AfCFTA allocation as ‘highly insufficient’
    July 10, 2025
    Minority demands audit over $1.2m passport relaunch cost and delays
    July 9, 2025
    Minority demands compensation for citizens stranded by US embassy closure
    July 9, 2025
    Foreign Minister Okudzeto Ablakwa and Chinese Ambassador Tong Defa sign $30 million grant agreement for Aflao market
    Ghana secures $30 million Chinese grant for Aflao market project
    July 9, 2025
    The end of USAID is not catastrophic for Africa – Dr. Brian Reuben
    July 8, 2025
  • Factometer
Search
© 2024 EIB Network Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Ghana picked for world’s first Malaria vaccine pilot
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Starr FmStarr Fm
Font ResizerAa
  • Headlines
  • Election Hub
  • General
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Factometer
Search
  • Headlines
  • Election Hub
  • General
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Factometer
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 EIB Network Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
GeneralHeadlinesHealth

Ghana picked for world’s first Malaria vaccine pilot

Starrfm.com.gh By Starrfm.com.gh Published April 24, 2017
Share
SHARE

Ghana and two other African countries – Kenya and Malawi – have been selected to take part in a WHO-coordinated pilot implementation programme that will make the world’s first malaria vaccine available in selected areas, beginning in 2018.

The injectable vaccine, RTS,S, was developed to protect young children from the most deadly form of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum, according to the WHO. RTS,S will be assessed in the pilot programme as a complementary malaria control tool that could potentially be added to the core package of WHO-recommended measures for malaria prevention.

“The prospect of a malaria vaccine is great news. Information gathered in the pilot will help us make decisions on the wider use of this vaccine”, said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa said in a statement. “Combined with existing malaria interventions, such a vaccine would have the potential to save tens of thousands of lives in Africa,” she added.

Africa bears the greatest burden of malaria worldwide. Global efforts in the last 15 years have led to a 62 percent reduction in malaria deaths between 2000 and 2015, yet approximately 429,000 people died of the disease in 2015, the majority of them young children in Africa.

The WHO pilot programme will assess whether the vaccine’s protective effect in children aged 5 – 17 months old during Phase III testing can be replicated in real-life. Specifically, the pilot programme will assess the feasibility of delivering the required four doses of RTS,S, the vaccine’s potential role in reducing childhood deaths, and its safety in the context of routine use.

WHO recommendations and RTS,S

RTS,S was developed by GSK and is the first malaria vaccine to have successfully completed a Phase III clinical trial. The trial was conducted between 2009 and 2014 through a partnership involving GSK, the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), and a network of African research sites in seven African countries—including Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.

RTS,S is also the first malaria vaccine to have obtained a positive scientific opinion from a stringent medicines regulatory authority, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which approved RTS,S in July 2015.

In October 2015, two independent WHO advisory groups, comprised of the world’s foremost experts on vaccines and malaria, recommended pilot implementation of RTS,S in three to five settings in sub-Saharan Africa. The recommendation came from the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization and the Malaria Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC), following a joint review of all available evidence on the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. The World Health Organization formally adopted the recommendation in January 2016.

Pilot implementation

The three countries were selected to participate in the pilot based on the following criteria: high coverage of long-lasting insecticidal-treated nets (LLINs); well-functioning malaria and immunisation programmes, a high malaria burden even after scale-up of LLINs, and participation in the Phase III RTS,S malaria vaccine trial. Each of the three countries will decide on the districts and regions to be included in the pilots. High malaria burden areas will be prioritized, as this is where the benefit of the vaccine is predicted to be highest. Information garnered from the pilot will help to inform later decisions about potential wider use of the vaccine.

The malaria vaccine will be administered via intramuscular injection and delivered through the routine national immunization programmes. WHO is working with the three countries to facilitate regulatory authorization of the vaccine for use in the pilots through the African Vaccine Regulatory Forum (AVAREF). Regulatory support will also include measures to enable the appropriate safety monitoring of the vaccine and rigorous evaluation for eventual large scale use.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and UNITAID, are partnering to provide US$49.2 million for the first phase of the pilot programme (2017-2020) which will be complemented by in-kind contributions from WHO and GSK.

You Might Also Like

Ablekuma North: NDC makes history after Ewurabena Aubynn wins rerun

NDC thugs incite violence at Ablekuma North rerun – Minority alleges

Police complicit in Ablekuma North attacks – Minority Caucus claims

Ablekuma North Rerun: NDC leads as counting is underway

NPP’s Amfo Sefa threatens violence ahead of Akwatia by-election

TAGGED:GhanaKenyaMalariamalawi
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print
Share
Previous Article Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom April my most difficult month ever – Nduom
Next Article RE: Why Ghana is not a tourist friendly place to visit

Starr 103.5FM

Starr FmStarr Fm
Follow US
© 2024 EIB Network Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
newsletter icon
Join Us!

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest in news, podcasts etc..

[mc4wp_form]
Zero spam, Unsubscribe at any time.
adbanner
AdBlock Detected
Our site is an advertising supported site. Please whitelist to support our site.
Okay, I'll Whitelist
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?