The world's first routine vaccine programme against malaria has started in Cameroon, in a move projected to save thousands of children's lives across Africa.

The symbolic first jab was given to a baby girl named Daniella at a health facility near Yaoundé on Monday.

Every year 600,000 people die of malaria in Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Children under five make up at least 80% of those deaths.

Cameroon is offering the RTS,S vaccine free of charge to all infants up to the age of six months old.

Patients require a total of four doses. Health officials say these will be given at the same time as other routine childhood vaccines to make it easier for parents.

It comes after successful pilot campaigns in Kenya, Ghana and Malawi - where the vaccine caused a 13% drop in malaria deaths in children of eligible age, says Unicef.

The jab is known to be effective in at least 36% of cases, according to US researchers, meaning it could save over one in three lives.

While the rollout is undoubtedly a relief and a life-saver, its relatively low efficacy rate means that it is not a "silver bullet", argues Willis Akhwale at End Malaria Council Kenya.

But for medics it is an important additional tool in the fight against malaria alongside mosquito nets and malaria tablets.

"We have a capacity to considerably reduce the number of cases and deaths from malaria and accelerate the elimination of the disease," Cameroonian doctor Shalom Ndoula, who helped to lead the rollout in his country, told BBC Newsday.

Development of the RTS,S vaccine has taken 30 years of research by the British drug-maker GSK.

The World Health Organization, which approved the vaccine, hailed the launch in Cameroon as a historic moment in the global fight against the mosquito-borne disease.

'Safe, effective and free'
Fears and doubts among some Cameroonians about the safety and efficacy of the doses have raised concerns about vaccine hesitancy.

"When people say we are being used as guinea pigs, that's not particularly true," Wilfred Fon Mbacham, who is a Cameroonian king and also a professor of public health biotechnology specialising in malaria, told BBC Newsday.

"We as scientists have to do much more on what it is, and the benefits it has, so that we can calm their fears."

Vaccination official Daniele Ekoto at Monday's launch told the BBC she was reassuring mothers after administering doses to their children, insisting that "it's a vaccine that's safe, effective and free".

But for others the benefits are obvious.

"I decided to vaccinate my child to avoid malaria. It's a bad thing and when it affects a child, they can easily die," one mother told the BBC at the same vaccination centre in Soa, near Yaoundé, where Monday's launch happened.

In 2021, Africa accounted for 95% of malaria cases globally and about 96% of related deaths.

"I have prayed and waited all my life for this vaccine", Mr Mbacham told the BBC.

The WHO says Cameroon records about six million malaria cases every year, with 4,000 deaths in health facilities - most of them children below five.

Six-month-old children in 42 districts with the greatest rates of morbidity and mortality will receive four doses until the age of two.

Twenty other countries aim to roll out the programme this year, according to the global vaccine alliance, Gavi. Among them are Burkina Faso, Liberia, Niger and Sierra Leone.

There is already a big demand for doses, but only about 18 million are available for allocation before 2025, according to Gavi, the vaccine alliance.

It falls short of what is needed by the countries the alliance has recommended for approval.

The anticipated rollout of a second vaccine - R21 - developed by Oxford University, is expected to significantly increase the number of doses available for use.

This is to be manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, which aims to make 100 million doses per year, so long as it successfully passes the regulatory approvals following its recommendation for use by the WHO last year.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68037008

I hope they're not being used as guinea pigs

The vaccine has already passed through the trial stage. Vaccine trials on human test subjects are 100% voluntary and they are bound by strict bio ethical guidelines.

The only reason it is being rolled out in tropical Africa is because that is the region of the world where malaria causes the greatest loss of life because most people are too poor to afford antimalarial medication and many of the antimalarial brands on the market now are losing their efficacy because the malaria parasite is developing drug resistance to them.

My only dissatisfaction is that it is only 36% effective, meaning that only 36% of those vaccinated will feel the full benefit of the treatment.

dominique:
I hope they're not being used as guinea pigs

A Welcome Development

Meanwhile, Nigeria rolls out mass murder, kidnapping, and unemployment.

Good News

Nothing concern me but E dey mind


Nice one

dominique:
I hope they're not being used as guinea pigs

No, they are not.

While Nigeria watches

AFRICA UNITE...


How good and how pleasant it would be, before God and man,
To see the unification of all Africans,
As it's been said already, let it be done,
We are the children of the Rastaman
We are the children of the Iyaman

Unite for the benefit (Africa unite) for the benefit of your people!
Unite for it's later (Africa unite) than you think!
Unite for the benefit (Africa unite) of my children!
Unite for it's later (Africa uniting) than you think!
Africa awaits (Africa unite) it's Creators!
Africa awaiting (Africa uniting) it's Creator!
Africa, you're my (Africa unite) forefather cornerstone!
Unite for the Africans (Africa uniting) abroad!
Unite for the Africans (Africa unite) a yard!

That's good for them

Just that I don't trust anything vaccination these days

ShoeGetSize:


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68037008

watch how it will be sold for #50,000 when it gets to Nigeria.

Lol the Covid own wey I take I never see the usefulness oh me nd people wey no take are still alive.....

dominique:
I hope they're not being used as guinea pigs

you thought damn right!!


which one be malaria vaccination again?

But our kids are being vaccinated several times from 2day old to like 3 years!

Why do we trust that?

Good development. This is one of those things you know Nigeria could've taken a lead on. If this actually goes through, we're talking billions of dollars in revenue from other countries where there's prevalence of malaria.

Hope conspiracy theorists will not come and say the new world order microchips rubbish and fake mark 666 story in this one?

Imagine how wasted and cursed Nigeria is. Other African countries are making strides in development instead we are here looting and doing tribalism!!!

What a cursed nation where the military is involved in every corrupt crime imaginable frol.allowing illegal immigrants mine our minerals to allowing bokoharam fulani raid and rape Nigerians all for money !

Nigeria is a curse to Africa , a nation that has nothing good to offer the world but to package criminals as leaders and to draw Africa backwards .

Break up Nigeria into smaller countries so we can finally have some progress.
Just loo at what Cameroun is achieving, worlds first malaria vaccine!! What about all the billions budgeted for university research and grants yearly?

The lecturers loot it and buy luxury cars! A nation were the people are so bad and evil that they drag mother Africa backwards.

A nation were the citizens are more concerned with what happens in Ukraine , Russia Israel etc for clout than to focus and see how their nation is dragging Africa backwards!!

A wasted generation of youth who are nothing but curses to Africa.
They will rather focus on sex or tribalism or stupid rants than to speak up for their own country.

Nigeria is a wasted country of low value individuals. Either the men are into fraud , drug selling , armed robbery rituals or political thuggery while the women re Into prostitution.

iLoveYouToo:
While Nigeria watches

/

Nigeria is only good at churning out millions of academic degrees whose owners must leave Nigeria to excel.

/

Nice

NO!

We must first teach obidients lesson of their life before we will delve into national development and thorough economic research and human capital investment.

We are good as we are now, naira is gaining seriously against the dollar, all our refineries are working in full capacity.
There is noting like insecurity in Nigeria, it is obidients propaganda, average life expectancy in Nigeria is 175 years, infact, our president is still very young at 96 years, even the first lady is pregnant with triplets.

Islam is the most peaceful religion in the universe,

it is people like chinaza, mmesoma, and Nnamdi Kanu that is giving it bad name, hamas, houtis, ISIS, bokoharam are agents of peace and harmony and they will defend Nigeria against the imperialist west,

allah is the most almighty from the back, and mohammed is its only prophet, all from the back.

Nigeria is better than Sweden, switzerland and UAE.
You will never find dust or stone on Nigeria road because all our tarred by Julius Berger, Nigeria is the economic hub of Nigeria, everyone in Nigeria has at least 50 million dollars in their account,
Na only obidients you will find under oshodi, ojota, Maryland bridge drinking agbo and smoking ganja.

Nigeria is the best and safest country to live in now.

Northerners have the highest professors per family in Nigeria, all the almajiri s you see begging bambiala and picking condemn are obidients.

It is only obidients that buy fuel at 2000 naira, buy shawa fish 5000 naira.



Anu mpamas.


. . .... N/B:

AntiChristian:

See your long gibberish! Judaism came before Christianity according to you, so why do we need Christianity?




The Prophet is not a pedophile. He married his wives from their parents or guardians.

He is a Prophet, a Prophet is not asked why a law is instituted.

Did you ask why he banned suicide, fornication, etc?

Who banned suicide?

Will you swear with all your life that you've not heard allah kubar kabooom!
That there are 72 breasts to press in ajana?
The more the breasts are pressed, the more it will be pointed and never fall?

I dread how you Muslims lie with impunity and loss of conscience.

So someone who banned fornication also banned adoption?
Why don't you want to answer the question of why he banned adoption, telling you people to marry only 4 wives and married 11 leaving Aisha at 18 years when he was killed like a bingo dog with rat poison.

One last question, if you are the father of Aisha, will you release your daughter to this your prophet at 6 years?

.. maybe they told you he is a young man like tinubu keeps telling you people, he was freaking 58 years,

please what can interest a 58 year old in a 6 year old, if the person is not chronically schzephrenic, psychotic, a nymphomaniac and mad.

if someone commit such crime now, how will you feel?


Let me tell you what I'll do if your prophet ever comes for my daughter, I will cut his head and mount it on a spike with a pigs testicles inside his eye sockets after gouging his eyes out and will leave it to rot to his skull, then his skull, I will use it to rum.


Damn! These guys are worse than I thought.

ShoeGetSize:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68037008

This is by far the biggest of news coming out of Africa in forever.

With God on our side in the new minister of health we are moving too!

Nigeria land is almost two times that of Cameroon!

And Cameroon population is about 29M unlike Nigeria>200M!

PrinceofSarcasm:
Imagine how wasted and cursed Nigeria is. Other African countries are making strides in development instead we are here looting and doing tribalism!!!

What a cursed nation where the military is involved in every corrupt crime imaginable frol.allowing illegal immigrants mine our minerals to allowing bokoharam fulani raid and rape Nigerians all for money !

Nigeria is a curse to Africa , a nation that has nothing good to offer the world but to package criminals as leaders and to draw Africa backwards .

Break up Nigeria into smaller countries so we can finally have some progress.
Just loo at what Cameroun is achieving, worlds first malaria vaccine!! What about all the billions budgeted for university research and grants yearly?

The lecturers loot it and buy luxury cars! A nation were the people are so bad and evil that they drag mother Africa backwards.

A nation were the citizens are more concerned with what happens in Ukraine , Russia Israel etc for clout than to focus and see how their nation is dragging Africa backwards!!

A wasted generation of youth who are nothing but curses to Africa.
They will rather focus on sex or tribalism or stupid rants than to speak up for their own country.

Nigeria is a wasted country of low value individuals. Either the men are into fraud , drug selling , armed robbery rituals or political thuggery while the women re Into prostitution.

Use the next available flight or do stowaway even to Iraq

NFBI:
Use the next available flight or do stowaway even to Iraq

You are in Nigeria alone bro. Die there or steal or commit fraud or kidnap or rape of whatever you guys have to do to survive now

Good luck to you , and may all your visa application be denied forever

NFBI:
Use the next available flight or do stowaway even to Iraq

Good and apt reply.
God bless you for this reply.
God bless your parents for giving birth to a King like you. 🤴

NFBI:
Give him just a councilor position see him embezzling everything

Lol 😂,
You know 'em too wells.
No mind them

PrinceofSarcasm:


You are in Nigeria alone bro. Die there or steal or commit fraud or kidnap or rape of whatever you guys have to do to survive now

Good luck to you , and may all your visa application be denied forever

Adios Ajala