Ghana recently became the first country in the world to start vaccinating babies between the ages of 5 months and 3 years with Oxford University’s malaria vaccine, which has shown the best results in fighting the disease. Malaria mainly affects African countries and, above all, children. But it also exists in other parts of the world.
Adrian Hill, professor of vaccinology and director of the Oxford Center dedicated to creating vaccines against infectious diseases, does not hide his enthusiasm for Ghana’s decision. “We weren’t sure we could get to this day. That it was even possible to make a highly effective vaccine against malaria. And now we know the answer.”
The researcher explains, in an interview with TSF, that, only for the smallest, it is estimated that 150 million doses of the vaccine are necessary. At less than four euros a dose, the total exceeds 500 million euros. If we add pregnant women and other risk groups, the account rises to almost 200 million.
Even so, Oxford believes that there is capacity to produce this vaccine in large quantities and at affordable prices. Adrian Hill truly believes that malaria will be under control in the near future.
“I don’t think it will happen in a few years, but I don’t think it will happen in decades either. Our priority is to control deaths in the next five years. And then, the great challenge is eradication”, says the Vaccinology professor. .
Adrian Hill is confident that, with an effectiveness of around 80 percent, the Oxford vaccine will soon be licensed by the World Health Organization. “Maybe in the next few weeks or months,” he says. The British scientist hopes that the WHO will make a quick decision, as happened with the Covid vaccines, in which the team he leads also played a key role.
Source: TSF
