HEALTH

Ghana is the first country in the world to approve a malaria vaccine

Malaria is thought to have plagued the world for at least 50,000 years. Now, for the first time, serious work is being done to create a vaccine against this terrible disease that still claims so many lives each year, especially in Africa.

Now, Ghana has become the first country in the world to approve a specific vaccine against malaria. The scientific name of the medicine is R21, and it was developed by researchers at the University's Jenner institute in Oxford.

Now the World Health Organisation is also considering approval of the vaccine, which will be produced in India, but in any case the African countries have already announced that they will 'act on their own', still mindful of the delays in the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine.

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Ghana is the first country in the world to approve a malaria vaccine
Malaria is thought to have affected the world for at least 50,000 years. Now, for the first time, serious work is being done to create a vaccine against this terrible disease that still claims so many lives every year, especially in Africa. Now, Ghana has become the first country in the world to approve a specific vaccine against malaria. The scientific name of the drug is R21, and it was developed by researchers at Oxford University's Jenner Institute.  Now the World Health Organisation is also considering approval of the vaccine, which will be produced in India, but in any case the African countries have already announced that they will 'act on their own', still mindful of the delays in the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine.
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A change for the world
Ghana is the first country in the world to approve the use of a malaria vaccine. The scientists who developed it have called it "a game changer for the whole world." Attempts to make a vaccine against this disease have been going on for a century. However, the widespread mass use of this vaccine will also depend greatly on the results of larger studies that will include 5,000 children in the near future.
PexelsDi L'utente che ha caricato in origine il file è stato TimVickers di Wikipedia in ingles
What is malaria
Malaria (also known as paludism) is a parasitic disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium, Kingdom Protista, Phylum Apicomplexa, Class Sporozoea, Order Eucoccidiida. Its current spread is not limited to the tropical areas of South America, Africa and Asia, but also sporadically affects the USA and other industrialised countries. Malaria is the most important parasitic disease and the second most important infectious disease in the world in terms of morbidity and mortality after tuberculosis, with more than 200 million new clinical cases per year.
Di Percherie - CHU de Rouen - Frequence du paludisme, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/
The spread of malaria
As can be seen from this illustrative map, Africa is the part of the world where the danger of contracting one of the forms of malaria is highest. In fact, the dark red colour indicates 'a high risk of malaria'. Children in particular are susceptible to this disease, and especially on the African continent, where the vaccine has been approved, the lack of adequate clinical facilities over a large part of the territory makes this disease still very serious, frightening and often fatal.
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The R21 vaccine
The name of the vaccine, developed by researchers at the Jenner institute at the University of Oxford, is called R21 and appears to be "extremely effective," in contrast to previous vaccines. In fact, studies have shown that this drug is up to 80 percent effective when administered in three initial doses and a booster one year later.
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On whom the vaccine will be used
The official results were expected last year, but despite this they have already been shared with some government agencies and scientists, with for example the Ghana Food and Drug Authority already in possession of the data. The latter has reportedly approved the use of the vaccine in children between the ages of five months and three years.
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African countries will go alone
The World Health Organisation is also taking note of this data, although it has not yet given its final approval. However, reports Prof. Adrian Hill, director of the research institute, 'African countries will decide for themselves' after falling behind in the launch of Covid-19 vaccines during the pandemic.
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The goal is to eradicate the disease from the Earth
Since the first scientific studies conducted during the 1800s, so many steps forward have been made. Also Professor Hill, reported by BBC, said that "we expect 'R21 to have a major impact on malaria mortality in children in the coming years and, in the long term, contribute to the ultimate goal of malaria eradication and elimination."
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The production of the R21 vaccine
The Serum Institute of India is preparing to produce between 100 and 200 million doses per year, with a vaccine factory under construction in Accra, Ghana. Each dose of R21 is expected to cost a couple of dollars. The institute's CEO, Adar Poonawalla, said Ghana's approval as the first country in the world represents a 'significant milestone in our efforts to fight malaria worldwide'.
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