Routine malaria vaccination campaign begins: A medical miracle
Myron Yaster MD
In scanning journal articles for the PAAD, I came across this announcement in JAMA. I know this is not a pediatric anesthesia article per se, but it is such a momentous, historic achievement, really a miracle, that I thought you might all want to know about it. Myron Yaster MD
Africa’s First Routine Malaria Vaccination Campaign Begins
JAMA. 2024;331(8):635. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.0170
The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners rolled out the first routine malaria vaccination campaign in Africa, representing a historic milestone, the agency announced. The campaign to get children vaccinated began in Cameroon at the end of January, with plans to expand access to 9 additional African countries later this year. More than 90% of malaria cases and deaths are in Africa, with children accounting for the majority of deaths.
Immunization programs are now using the WHO-recommended vaccine RTS,S/AS01, marketed as Mosquirix. It protects against Plasmodium falciparum malaria, which is the deadliest kind. In October 2023, the WHO also approved a second vaccine to prevent malaria, known as R21/Matrix-M. Both vaccines averted about three-quarters of symptomatic malaria cases when clinicians provided them to patients in areas with high transmission.
Published Online: February 7, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.0170