“I am the happiest woman in the world,” proclaimed this Monday the mother of twins Noah Nga Theodore and Ndzie Judith Anastasie.
The six-month-old girls were the first from the Soa district hospital (just outside Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon) to receive the malaria vaccine, in the first major global vaccination campaign against this disease.
“Three years ago, my son suffered from severe malaria that left him unconscious,” says the woman, Helene Akono, 32 years old and mother of six children in total, who is considering the arrival of malaria vaccines in her country. , and the place of honor of his daughters, a “miracle.”
Before leaving, she promises to return to the health center in the coming months to complete the four doses of the vaccination plan.
The RTS,S antimalarial vaccine, also known as Mosquirix, was the first approved — in 2021 — by the World Health Organization to combat the
Plasmodium falciparum parasite,
the most aggressive and frequent in Africa, causing 90% of deaths. due to malaria.
It will be administered free of charge to children between six months and five years old.
In 2022, there will be 249 million cases of malaria worldwide, causing 608,000 deaths.
Africa accounted for 94% of the cases and 95% of the deaths, of which 78% were children under five years of age.
The figures are shocking: every minute, a child under five years of age dies from this cause on the African continent.
The figures are shocking: every minute, a child under five dies from malaria on the African continent.
The fight against malaria has had recent successes, such as the new R21/Matrix-M injection, cheaper than Mosquirix and which can, therefore, alleviate the limited production of preventive medications.
Or the success of Cape Verde, declared free of the disease in January;
the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve this title in half a century, after Mauritius, in 1973.
Over the past three years, Kenya, Ghana and Malawi participated in a pilot program that vaccinated more than two million children against malaria and resulted in a 13% decrease in deaths, according to Unicef data.
For this year, about 20 African countries intend to introduce the vaccine, a plan that, among other factors, will depend on when the second malaria vaccine recommended by the WHO is available, says Aurélia Nguyen, program director of Gavi, the Global Alliance for Vaccines, which has largely financed the vaccination campaign that begins this January 22.
An ideal habitat for mosquitoes
Cameroon, a country of more than 27 million inhabitants, is one of the 11 countries most affected by malaria, with about six million cases annually, according to the WHO.
The tropical climate of the Central African country offers an ideal habitat for mosquitoes, explains Leonard Kouadio, head of Health and HIV at the Unicef Office in Cameroon.
Added to this is limited access to health services, especially in rural and remote areas, which makes early diagnosis and treatment difficult.
“This can lead to more severe forms of the disease and higher mortality rates, especially among vulnerable populations, such as children and pregnant women,” according to Kouadio.
In addition, the emergence of malaria parasites resistant to insecticides poses a major challenge to the effectiveness of treatment, he acknowledges.
A baby who has just received the first malaria vaccine in Douala (Cameroon), this past Monday.
DONGMO RODRIGUE WILLIAM (EFE)
In hospitals like the one in the Soa district, doctors attest that at least three out of every five patients who come to the center are diagnosed with malaria.
“Malaria ranks first among the diseases we receive here.
We are facing the problem of limited spaces and a shortage of medicines,” says Theresia Bouetou Tantoh, chief medical officer at the Etoug-Ebe private hospital in Yaoundé.
The Central African nation aims to vaccinate half a million children between this year and next.
Kouadio, from Unicef, describes the introduction of this vaccine as a “decisive advance.”
“The vaccine's ability to reduce the incidence of severe malaria, hospitalizations and deaths in young children has the potential to alleviate the socioeconomic impact of the disease on families and communities,” he notes.
Cameroonian Health Minister Malachie Manaouda described the launch of the immunization program as a “historic” step for the country and for Africa.
“Vaccination against malaria has been a long time coming,” acknowledges Aurélia Nguyen, from Gavi.
“As an Alliance, we have invested in studies and pilot projects, and sent powerful market signals to manufacturers, all to accelerate this moment: approved vaccines available and reaching those who need them most,” she says.
Several experts point out that to introduce a new vaccine into immunization programs, extensive preparations are needed, such as the training of health personnel, investment in infrastructure, technical capacity, storage of doses, community participation and coordination with The authorities.
Many communities are very far from health facilities and must travel long distances to get vaccinated
Patricia Postigo, responsible for Vaccination and Outbreak Response at Doctors Without Borders
Patricia Postigo, responsible for vaccination and response to epidemic outbreaks at Doctors Without Borders in Madrid, celebrates the “great achievement” of this campaign, which will have “a direct impact” on the number of hospitalizations for severe malaria and mortality, but raises doubts about its introduction into the routine vaccination schedule and its monitoring.
The vaccine is administered in four doses: the first at six months, followed by two more, each one with an interval of one month from the previous one.
The fourth dose is administered more than a year later.
“These doses do not coincide with the rest of the vaccines on the children's calendar, which will mean more visits to health centers and greater monitoring by parents,” she says.
“Many communities are very far from health structures and must travel long distances to get vaccinated.
Furthermore, at a time when the rates of vaccine coverage and
zero-dose
children [who have not received any vaccine] have increased in recent years, due to the pandemic and recurring conflicts, it will be a challenge not only for this vaccine, but for all the ones that a child should receive as a child.”
Another difficulty, according to Postigo, is for the vaccine to reach the most vulnerable populations: displaced people, in isolated areas, in the midst of conflicts and without access to health services.
The challenge of misinformation
Daniele Ekoto, nurse and head of vaccination at Soa hospital, testifies that many Cameroonian parents came with their children on the same day as the launch of the global vaccination program.
“And many more are coming,” she says, enthusiastically.
“They have confidence.
We assure them that vaccination is the way to combat deaths from malaria (...) And we explain that it does not replace other prevention measures, such as keeping the environment clean and sleeping under treated mosquito nets."
But indecision and misinformation work against the vaccination campaign, Cameroonian authorities acknowledge.
Kouadio of the Unicef Office in Cameroon recommends that when addressing hesitant parents, it is crucial to emphasize the importance of immunization to protect not only their own children, but also the community at large.
“Although we understand that some parents are concerned about vaccines, it is important to emphasize that vaccination is one of the most effective tools we have to prevent diseases such as malaria,” he emphasizes.
“The malaria vaccine has undergone rigorous testing to ensure its safety and effectiveness, and has been shown to provide significant protection against severe forms of the disease in young children.”
Adalbert Tchetchia, head of the Social Mobilization Unit of the Expanded Program on Immunization of Cameroon, explains that the Government has taken measures to fight mistrust: “We train the media and digital actors on how to spread messages about safety, the effectiveness and quality of vaccines.
A toll-free number [1510] has been created to manage concerns raised by communities.
“We have strengthened the capacities of health care providers and community health workers who are in regular contact with the populations,” he lists.
In addition, he adds, the Government organizes educational talks in health centers and communities, and broadcasts messages on community radio stations.
You can follow
Planeta Futuro
on
X
,
,
and
TikTok
and subscribe
to our newsletter
here
.