Uganda welcomes new malaria vaccine, to reduce deaths

The new malaria vaccine R21 is a welcome relief for the persistent outbreaks of malaria in Uganda.

Malaria has remained a substantial public health issue in Uganda over an extended period. Uganda holds the unfortunate distinction of having the world’s highest malaria incidence rate, with 478 cases per 1,000 population annually according to the Ministry of Health.

The World Mosquito Day, observed annually on August 20, is a commemoration of British doctor Sir Ronald Ross's discovery in 1897 that female anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans. Uganda joined the rest of the world to commemorate World Malaria Day which is held on April 25 annually.

The cheap malaria vaccine that can be produced on a massive scale has been recommended for use by the World Health Organization (WHO) to combat the disease.

The vaccine has been developed by the University of Oxford and is only the second malaria vaccine to be developed.

Malaria kills mostly babies and infants and has been one of the biggest scourges on humanity. There are already agreements in place to manufacture more than 100 million doses a year. It has taken more than 100 years of scientific effort to develop effective vaccines against malaria.

During floods and heavy rain, there is an increased risk of malaria infections in areas such as the Bududa district and Lake Kyoga basin with increased transmission of malaria due to fertile breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

The WHO said the new R21 vaccine would be a "vital additional tool". Each dose costs $2-4 (sh7,500 to sh15,000), and four doses are needed per person.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO regional director for Africa, said, "This vaccine holds real potential to close the huge demand-and-supply gap.

"Delivered to scale and rolled out widely, the two vaccines can help bolster malaria prevention, control efforts and save hundreds of thousands of young lives."

Data that has been published online but has not been through the usual process of scientific review, shows the R21 vaccine is 75% effective at preventing the disease in areas where malaria is seasonal.

Dr Jimmy Opigo, the assistant commissioner national malaria control programme at the Ministry of Health, said on Wednesday that Uganda welcomes the vaccine as an additional tool to fight malaria.

Opigo said the new vaccine has a higher production capacity, which addresses the problem of access. He added that the new vaccine could be included alongside the other immunisation programs for children.

Dr Michael Baganizi, the head of the immunization program at the Ministry of Health, said the WHO guidelines were yet to come out. Thereafter, Uganda would decide the way to go with the vaccine.

Uganda is among the 10 countries in Africa with high cases of malaria.

In 2021, Mosquirix, a new malaria vaccine that can reduce malaria cases and deaths by 90% when used alongside other malaria control interventions was developed.

The World Health Organisation recommended the use of the groundbreaking vaccine among children at risk in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Africa accounts for over 94% of malaria cases and deaths in the world. The rollout of these vaccines in Africa often gets hindered by funding challenges.

Currently, the malaria prevalence in Uganda is at 9.1%. The sub-regions that reported high burden in terms of prevalence were West Nile, Busoga, Acholi, Teso and Lango. Districts in Buganda and western Uganda reported the lowest malaria prevalence.