Burkina Faso : RTS, S/S01, malaria vaccine, now part of routine vaccination
In Burkina Faso, the antimalarial vaccine was launched on Monday, February 5, 2024, as part of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). This occurred during a ceremony held in the Center-West region of the country.
According to the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene’s communication service, 218,222 children aged 5 months in 27 health districts in the regions of Cascades, Center-East, Center-West, Center-South, East, Sahel, and Southwest are the first to benefit from the first antimalarial vaccine available to date in the world.
The objective of the Ministry of Health is to reduce the incidence of the disease in the « Land of the Upright People ».
« A budget of five billion FCFA has been allocated by the state budget to acquire doses of the R21 vaccine as soon as available in order to cover the maximum number of health districts », explained the Minister of Health, Dr. Robert Kargougou. He also emphasized that the choice was made for these 27 districts based on the severity of malaria and the high death rate.
Regarding the effectiveness of the product, the minister provided more details. « RTS,S is a safe and effective vaccine administered in 4 doses at 5, 6th, 7th, and 15th months », he announced. This position was supported by Dr. Emmanuel Nanéma, the Director-General of the National Center for Scientific and Technological Research (CNRST).
According to his explanations, the vaccine development involved the participation of six other African countries for phase 3 clinical trials for vaccine development. « This vaccine, which is the first malaria vaccine in the history of humanity, has shown a good safety and efficacy profile that will effectively protect our children against this disease », he said.
