Shipment of newest malaria vaccine, R21, to Central African Republic marks latest milestone for child survival
UNICEF delivered over 43 000 doses of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine by air to Bangui, Central African Republic, today, with more than 120 000 doses to follow in the next days. It is the first country to receive the R21 malaria vaccine for use in routine childhood immunization, marking another step forward in preventing the disease and saving children’s lives.
R21 is the second malaria vaccine to be recommended by WHO for children living in endemic areas. Along with the earlier WHO recommendation of the RTS,S vaccine, there is now sufficient vaccine supply to scale up malaria vaccination in Africa. The rollout of both vaccines is funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
“With two products now available to countries, expanded supply of malaria vaccines is a game changer for child survival and health,” said Director of UNICEF Supply Division Leila Pakkala. “Previous concerns about supply meeting demand are firmly behind us. Now our priority is for the vaccines to reach every child at risk.”
The R21 and RTS,S vaccines are proven safe and effective in preventing malaria in children. The RTS,S vaccine was delivered to more than 2 million children in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi in a four-year pilot programme that demonstrated a 13% reduction in all-cause mortality.
Malaria is one of the world’s most lethal diseases, killing nearly half a million children under 5 years of age each year in Africa.
The Central African Republic has one of the highest rates of malaria incidence globally. In 2022, an estimated 1 733 000 malaria cases were reported in the country, averaging about 4747 cases a day. The disease also claimed around 5180 lives over the year, or 14 deaths each day.
“Having two safe and effective vaccines means we have greater supply security and can be more confident about meeting countries’ needs,” said Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “That is what matters most – that countries where our vaccines can be most impactful are able to access them, saving thousands of lives each year and offering relief to families, communities and entire health systems.”
Central African Republic, along with Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Uganda, are preparing to receive R21 shipments.
Around 4.33 million doses of RTS,S have been delivered to 8 countries so far – Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, and Sierra Leone – that are offering the vaccine in their routine child immunization programmes as part of national malaria control plans. Burundi and Niger are next on the list for RTS,S shipments.
Vaccine deliveries to countries that are funded through the Vaccine Alliance depend on government requests and readiness to include the vaccine in routine immunization programmes.
Gavi, UNICEF, WHO, and partners are supporting governments as they prepare to receive and introduce the vaccines. This involves supporting countries to develop vaccine implementation plans and communication strategies, conducting health worker trainings and community engagement, and ensuring sufficient cold chain capacity.
“Malaria vaccines, introduced as part of the tools available in comprehensive national malaria control plans, will substantially reduce early childhood deaths and can help revitalize the fight against malaria. With the R21 vaccine now joining RTS,S vaccine for use in country immunization programmes, scale up of malaria vaccine across parts of Africa, where malaria remains a major cause of childhood death will continue. The high community demand for malaria vaccines also provides an opportunity for children to receive other childhood vaccines that may be due, resulting in even more lives saved,” said Dr Kate O’Brien, Director of WHO's Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals.
Malaria vaccines are an important addition to the fight against the disease. Careful planning is essential to ensure the successful introduction of the malaria vaccines and to combine them with other interventions including insecticide-treated bed nets or targeted indoor residual spraying, chemoprevention, diagnosis and prompt treatments to maximize the impact on public health.
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Notes to editors:
Download photos and videos here (content will be added post-shipment arrival).
Follow this link for the UNICEF vaccine market dashboard, which provides the latest market developments, including deliveries and a global overview of prices.
For more information, please contact:
Sara Alhattab, UNICEF New York, Tel: +1 917 957 6536, salhattab@unicef.org
Meghana Sharafudeen, Gavi, Tel: +41 79 711 55 54, msharafudeen@gavi.org
Matt Grek, Gavi, mgrek@gavi.org
WHO Press Office, mediainquiries@who.int
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world's toughest places, to reach the world's most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.
For more information about UNICEF and its work, visit: www.unicef.org
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About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate more than half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunize a whole generation – over 1 billion children – and prevented more than 17.3 million future deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 78 lower-income countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningococcal and yellow fever vaccines. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation, above all the zero-dose children who have not received even a single vaccine shot. The Vaccine Alliance employs innovative finance and the latest technology – from drones to biometrics – to save lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency.
Learn more at www.gavi.org and connect with us on Facebook and X (Twitter).
About WHO
Dedicated to the health and well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health Organization leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere, an equal chance at a safe and healthy life. We are the UN agency for health that connects nations, partners and people on the front lines in 150+ locations – leading the world’s response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of health issues and expanding access to medicines and health care. Our mission is to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. www.who.int