The Central African Republic (CAR) has become the first country in the world to receive a new vaccine against malaria, the R21/Matrix-M, approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) last October, that UN agency reported.
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CAR is “the first country to receive the R21 malaria vaccine for use in routine childhood immunization, marking another step forward in preventing the disease and saving children’s lives,” the organization said.
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In 2023, the entity approved the deployment of Mosquirix, in addition to the approval of a second vaccine, the R21/Matrix-M.
“With two products now available to countries, the increased supply of malaria vaccines represents a turning point for child survival and health,” said UNICEF Supply Division Director Leila Pakkala.
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 malaria incidence rates in the world.
The WHO estimates that in 2022 just over 1.7 million cases of
malaria and 5,180 deaths from the disease in that country. The Central African Republic, along with Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Sudan and Uganda, are preparing to receive shipments of R21/Matrix-M.
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Malaria is a disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to humans through the bite of infected Anopheles mosquitoes.
Africa is the main source of contagion in the world, accounting for approximately 95% of malaria deaths globally and 94% of cases in 2022.
EFE
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