GAVI Alliance
GAVI Alliance
08/30/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/30/2024 08:01
Central African Republic introduces new malaria vaccine in routine EPI to vaccinate around 200,000 children in 2024
Bangui, 22 August 2024 - The Central African Republic (CAR) today introduced the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine into its routine Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), becoming the fourth country to introduce the new vaccine after Côte d'Ivoire. R21/Matrix-M is the second malaria vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) after RTS,S/AS01 for children living in endemic areas.
CAR is one of the first countries to receive the R21 malaria vaccine for use in routine childhood immunization, marking a significant step forward in preventing the disease and protecting children's lives. In May 2024, the country received 163,800 doses of the R21 vaccine, which will be rolled out to all 35 health districts with the aim of vaccinating approximately 199,407 children aged 6-11 months with the first dose in 2024. Children will need to receive four doses of vaccine to be protected from the disease: the first dose at 6 months, the second at 7 months, the third at 9 months and the fourth dose at 16 months.
Malaria is one of the world's deadliest diseases, killing nearly half a million children under the age of five each year in Africa. CAR has one of the highest incidences of malaria in the region. About 1,733,000 cases of malaria were reported in 2022, or an average of about 4,747 cases per day. The disease also caused about 5,180 deaths during the year, or 14 deaths per day.
The opportunity offered by the introduction of the vaccine into the national immunization programme is a major step; and as Meritxell Relaño, UNICEF Representative in CAR , pointed out : "Malaria vaccines, introduced into routine immunization, will significantly reduce early child deaths and strengthen the fight against malaria, which remains a major cause of disease and death in children. Community demand for these vaccines is an opportunity to provide children with more routine vaccines to increase routine immunization coverage and save even more lives," she said.
Dr Fousséni Dao, WHO Office Manager in CAR, said: "This long-awaited R21/Matrix-M vaccine is a breakthrough for science, child health and the fight against malaria. The use of this vaccine in addition to existing tools to prevent malaria, such as the use of insecticide-treated nets and environmental sanitation, could save tens of thousands of young lives every year "
To prepare for the introduction of the R21 vaccine into routine EPI, WHO and UNICEF, with funding from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, are supporting the country in developing vaccination implementation plans, communication strategies, as well as organizing training for health workers, community engagement, and sufficiently strengthening the cold chain.
"Today's ceremony must reflect the critical importance I attach to immunization as a method of disease control. In a world characterized by the deliberate anti-vaccination infodemic, I wanted to personally announce the introduction of the new malaria vaccine in order to mark in the most solemn way my commitment to the prevention of diseases through vaccination," reassured the president, Prof. Faustin-Archange Touadera. "My vision for protection through vaccination is that in the Central African Republic, every individual, wherever they are, regardless of age, gender, social condition, religion and community affiliation, fully benefits from the vaccines selected under the Expanded Programme on Immunization," he added.
In CAR, the results of recent immunization coverage surveys show that despite efforts by the government and its partners to make vaccines and immunization services available to the majority of the population, only 16% of children are fully vaccinated, and 34% of children have never been vaccinated. Foremost among the factors involved is the distance that people have to travel to access immunization services.
Notes to editors
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. The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. View the full list of donor governments and other leading organisations that fund Gavi's work here.
Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise 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).
MEDIA CONTACTS
Collins Weru Mwai, Gavi
+25 078 783 66 38
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Laura Shevlin, Gavi
+ 41 79 529 92 87
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René Koundou Ifono, WHO Central African Republic
Communication Officer
+236 74 31 95 60
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Salwa Moussa, UNICEF Central African Republic
Head of Communication and Advocacy
+236 70 00 97 06
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