ChildFund The Gambia last Friday handed over 16,000 LLIN mosquito bed nets to regional health directorates at a ceremony held at Sama Kairo Federation in Brikama. The gesture is part of ChildFund The Gambia’s efforts to complement efforts of the Gambia Government in reducing or eliminating malaria infection among the most vulnerable groups (children and […]
Tag: Malaria
The call for a total ban of DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane), a synthetic insecticide used in malaria-endemic countries that causes harm to the environment and human body, has sparked a debate. Some people canvass its anti-malarial benefits while others cite its harmful effects on the environment and human health. It is banned in some countries even as […]
Malaria Consortium researchers were part of a team assessing Ugandan health facilities’ capacity to provide quality malaria testing, care and treatment and found high malaria testing rates among those suspected to have malaria. This was a notable improvement compared to previous years and met the target set by the National Malaria Reduction Strategic Plan to […]
Malaria is killing more people in Malawi than Covid-19, the National Malaria Control Programme Manager Dr. Michael Kayange has disclosed. Kayange made the remarks in Salima during a media training the Ministry of Health organized with financial support from Global Fund and GAVI Alliance. According to Dr Kayange, malaria is killing 2, 500 Malawians every […]
Reports of sporadic resistance to modern malaria drugs have begun appearing in recent years, and are now confirmed in Rwanda and Uganda. The Conversation Africa’s Ina Skosana asked infectious diseases experts Deus Ishengoma and Fredros Okumu to explain this development and what the implications are. What is drug resistant malaria and how did it come […]
Up to 75,000 displaced people – including 35,000 children – living in a remote and inaccessible hilltop camp for displaced people in the province of Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are braving “hellish conditions” without adequate food, shelter, protection, security and sanitation, UNICEF has warned. The size of the camp – located […]
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on international malaria control and elimination efforts. According to the latest World Malaria Report, there were an estimated 14 million more cases of malaria in 2020 compared to 2019. Even more concerning was the marked increase in malaria-related deaths. These were mainly in children under the […]
WHO welcomes the historic decision by the Gavi Alliance Board to invest in the first malaria vaccine programme. The decision secures investment in the long-awaited malaria vaccine and assures that many more children at risk will benefit from this life-saving vaccine and additional malaria prevention. The Gavi Board approved an investment to support the malaria […]
Six countries in Africa accounted for about half of all malaria deaths worldwide in 2019: Nigeria (23%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (11%), Tanzania (5%), Burkina Faso (4%), Mozambique (4%) and Niger (4%). The World Health Organization (WHO) has set an ambitious target of reducing the global malaria burden by 90% by 2030. This […]
Blantyre, Malawi — Malawi has begun a mass distribution of mosquito nets, aiming to reach almost half the country’s population of 18 million people. Health authorities say the campaign is aimed at reducing the spread of malaria, which in Malawi currently accounts for 36% of all hospital outpatients and 15% of hospital admissions. The Global […]
Malaria is a risk to three quarters of the population in the Southern African Development Community, a 16-member organisation that draws in countries across southern and eastern Africa. Some countries in the region have set a target to eliminate the disease from as early as 2023 to 2030. Though this won’t be simple, it can […]
After decades of trials, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended a new malaria vaccine for children, adding a new development in the fight against the deadly disease. The vaccine RTS, S (Brand Name Mosquirix) is the result of over 30 years of research and development by GlaxoKlineSmith in partnership with PATH, the Malaria Initiative […]
Globally more than 400,000 people die of malaria annually. Africa carries a disproportionate burden of the disease. In 2019, 94% of deaths and cases were recorded in the region. History shows that two centuries ago, malaria was ravaging some countries in Europe at rates similar to those being experienced in Africa today. In Italy for […]
About five years ago, I stepped into an exciting new role within Kenya’s National Vaccines and Immunisation Program (NVIP). Among other things, I was charged with spearheading the introduction of new vaccines to help improve the health of our population. Barely a week into my new role, I was tasked with leading the pilot introduction […]
The World Health Organisation (WHO) took an historic step in the fight against malaria when it recently recommended the use of a malaria vaccine for young children. The announcement marked a major achievement – the development of the first ever successful malaria vaccine against falciparum malaria, the deadliest form of malaria and the one that […]
The World Health Organization has said the only approved vaccine against malaria should be widely given to African children, marking a major step forward in the fight against a disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people annually. On Wedensday, the WHO recommended that the Mosquirix (RTS,S) vaccine developed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline be rolled-out […]
One of the leading organisations in Malawi, World Vision International, has hailed the endorsement of Southern of the world’s first malaria vaccine in Africa, calling it a “historic breakthrough.” World Vision Southern Africa leader recognising, Mark Kelly says recognising the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine (also known as Mosquirix) is a historic milestone for the most vulnerable children […]
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Namibia: Malaria Vaccine a ‘Game-Changer’
FORMER health minister and current Malaria Elimination 8 ambassador Richard Kamwi says the green light from the World Health Organisation for the first malaria vaccine to be rolled out in countries battling the disease is ‘a game-changer.’ The vaccine called RTS,S or Mosquirix was proven effective six years ago and has been successfully piloted in […]