The malaria vaccine is increasingly accepted by parents in Cameroon, according to the National Malaria Control Program (PNLP).
“To date, we have more than 15,000 children vaccinated,” declared Marcellin Joël Ateba, the permanent secretary of the PNLP, in the columns of the government daily Cameroon Tribune on March 26. He also informs that Cameroon is now thinking of ordering additional stocks to cover the entire national territory. Since Cameroon launched routine vaccination for infants under six months old at the beginning of this year, only 42 districts out of more than 200 existing are actually covered. For this vaccination coverage, we remember that the country received 331,200 doses of the RTS,S vaccine last November. This anti-malaria vaccine is the very first to receive approval from the World Health Organization (WHO).
All that remains is to know if Cameroon can receive new doses in the coming months to increase its vaccination coverage. In theory, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), the international organization which campaigns for access to vaccines for disadvantaged children, is in favor of large-scale anti-malaria vaccination campaigns on the African continent. In addition, the supply of anti-malaria vaccines is about to increase. WHO experts are currently reviewing R21, another vaccine, before making a final recommendation.
SBBC