UNICEF, GAVI, and WHO Collaborate to Provide Malaria Vaccines in Africa
Introduction
The UNICEF Korea Committee recently announced a significant initiative aimed at combatting malaria in Africa. Together with GAVI (World Association for Vaccine Immunization) and WHO (World Health Organization), UNICEF plans to deliver 18 million doses of the malaria vaccine to 12 African countries by 2025.
The Urgency of the Issue
Malaria remains one of the deadliest diseases on the African continent, claiming the lives of nearly 500,000 children under the age of 5 every year. Shockingly, African children account for 95% of global malaria cases and 96% of related deaths as of 2021.
Action Plan and Implementation
The collaborative effort between UNICEF, GAVI, and WHO aims to address this pressing issue by deploying the RTS malaria vaccine across 12 African nations. The countries included in this program are Ghana, Niger, Liberia, Malawi, Benin, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Cameroon, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Delivery of the RTS malaria vaccine is scheduled for the last quarter of 2023, with vaccinations commencing in early 2024. This comprehensive program will mark the world’s first regular malaria vaccine vaccination initiative.
Evidence-Based Approach
The decision to provide the malaria vaccine is supported by the results of a large-scale pilot project conducted by WHO since 2019. This project, involving over 1.7 million children in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi, demonstrated the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness in reducing severe malaria and child mortality rates. WHO now recommends vaccination, primarily targeting children in sub-Saharan Africa, where malaria prevalence is exceptionally high.
UNICEF’s Crucial Role
As the only organization explicitly mentioned in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF plays a vital role in promoting children’s rights worldwide. In Korea, the UNICEF Korea Committee represents UNICEF and actively supports child-friendly society projects while raising funds to aid children globally.
The UNICEF Korea Committee announced on July 6 that UNICEF, together with GAVI (World Association for Vaccine Immunization) and WHO (World Health Organization), plans to provide 18 million doses of malaria vaccine and deploy a vaccination program in 12 African countries by 2025.
Eight-month-old Alan receives a malaria vaccine at the Kawale Health Center in Lilongwe, Malawi (Photo courtesy of UNICEF Korea Committee)
Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases in Africa, killing nearly 500,000 children under the age of 5 each year. As of 2021, approximately 95% of malaria patients worldwide and 96% of deaths were found to be African children.
UNICEF, together with GAVI and WHO, will deliver RTS malaria vaccine to 12 African countries (Ghana, Niger, Liberia, Malawi, Benin, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Cameroon, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo) in the last quarter of 2023; S/AS01 will be provided, and vaccination will begin in early 2024, and the world’s first regular malaria vaccine vaccination program will be used.
The provision of the malaria vaccine is based on the results of a large-scale pilot project carried out by WHO since 2019 on more than 1.7 million children in three countries: Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. Because it has been proven to be safe and effective in reducing severe malaria and child mortality, WHO recommends vaccination especially for children in sub-Saharan Africa, where malaria is highly contagious.
UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) is the only organization whose role in promoting children’s rights is specifically mentioned in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN agency that conducts business. The UNICEF Korea Committee, as an organization representing UNICEF in Korea, raises funds for children around the world and promotes children’s rights in Korea through UNICEF’s child-friendly society projects.
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