New Delhi: The newest malaria vaccine, R21, has reached the Central African Republic, the first country in the world to receive it for routine childhood immunization, UNICEF said in a statement Friday.
With 43,000 doses delivered by air on May 24, 2024, and an additional 120,000 doses expected in the coming days, the country is now home to the second malaria vaccine to be recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for children living in endemic areas, increasing the supply of vaccines to scale up malaria vaccination in Africa.
The R21 vaccine, developed by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is now joining the RTS,S vaccine, which has already been delivered to more than two million children in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi in a four-year pilot programme that demonstrated a 13 percent reduction in all-cause mortality, UNICEF added.
The R21 and RTS,S vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective in preventing malaria in children.
With the arrival of R21, countries now have a choice of two highly effective and safe vaccines to choose from, increasing the likelihood of a significant impact on the fight against malaria, particularly in areas experiencing high population density and marginalization, said UNICEF.