Cameroon Aims to Vaccinate Hundreds of Thousands of Children
Cameroon has launched the world’s first vaccination campaign against malaria, marking a milestone in the decades-long efforts to control the disease. Health authorities consider the vaccinations a life-saving measure that will bring relief to families and the country’s healthcare system. “The vaccination will save lives. It will be a great relief for families and the health system of the country,” said Aurelia Nguyen from the international vaccine alliance, Gavi, which supports Cameroon in procuring the vaccine doses.
The World Health Organization (WHO) described the start of the malaria vaccination campaign as a “historic milestone” in the fight against the disease, which is prevalent mainly in Africa.
In a small hospital in the city of Soa, a six-month-old baby was among the first to receive the vaccine against the tropical disease. Nurses sang and celebrated the beginning of the vaccination campaign in their country. The hospital in Soa is one of many vaccination centers established across Cameroon, which has a population of 28 million.
Deadly disease, especially for children
The central African country aims to vaccinate around 250,000 children this year and next. According to Gavi, they are working with 20 other African countries to support them in procuring the vaccine and hope that these countries can vaccinate over six million children by 2025. In Africa, approximately 600,000 people, mostly young children, die from malaria each year.
Malaria is caused by parasites transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito. The disease poses a significant health risk in Africa, particularly for young children, as resistance to common malaria medications is increasingly observed. In 2021, there were 247 million malaria infections worldwide, with 95 percent of global infections and 96 percent of deaths registered in Africa.
Vaccine brings hope, but no quick fix
In addition to Cameroon, Sierra Leone and Benin have also received malaria vaccines. In a pilot program from 2019, vaccine doses were administered to children aged five months and older in some areas of Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi. This immunization effort, covering over two million children, led to a “spectacular decline” in child mortality from malaria and a significant reduction in severe malaria infections, according to Gavi.
The new vaccine brings hope, but it is not an immediate solution. Cameroon will use the recently approved malaria vaccine, Mosquirix. The WHO approved the vaccine two years ago, acknowledging its potential to dramatically reduce severe infections and hospitalizations. However, the vaccine is only about 30 percent effective and requires four doses for maximum protection. The immunity provided by the vaccine wanes after a few months.