In a significant stride towards combating malaria on a global scale, the Serum Institute of India (SII) has initiated the shipment of its inaugural batch of R21/Matrix-M Malaria vaccine doses to Africa, a region burdened by a substantial prevalence of the disease.
The dispersal of these malaria vaccines throughout Africa represents a pivotal advancement in the worldwide crusade against malaria, signifying a concerted effort to mitigate the impact of this debilitating disease.
The initial consignment of malaria vaccines is slated for delivery to the Central African Republic (CAR), with subsequent shipments earmarked for countries such as South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the imminent future.
Out of the allocated 163,800 doses designated specifically for the CAR region, a preliminary tranche of 43,200 doses has been dispatched from SII’s facility on Monday, heralding the commencement of this vital initiative.
SII, in collaboration with Novavax and the University of Oxford, celebrated this momentous achievement during a ceremony graced by Eric Garcetti, the US Ambassador to India, underscoring the success of the tripartite partnership between India, the US, and the UK.
To date, the Serum Institute of India has produced 25 million doses of the R21/Matrix-M Malaria vaccine, with the capacity to escalate production to 100 million doses annually, thereby bolstering global efforts to combat malaria.
In October 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed the R21/Matrix-M vaccine for malaria prevention in children, marking a pivotal milestone in malaria vaccine development. This recommendation follows the WHO’s endorsement of the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine in 2021, underscoring the significance of these advancements in averting malaria-related morbidity and mortality, particularly among children in Africa.
Malaria, a mosquito-borne illness, exacts a heavy toll on children in the African region, with nearly half a million children succumbing to the disease annually. The deployment of these vaccines is poised to alleviate the burden of malaria and engender a brighter future for vulnerable populations across Africa.
