All about the New Malaria Vaccine for Nigeria

The National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has granted provisional approval for the use in Nigeria of the R21 malaria vaccine developed by Oxford University.

The R21 vaccine is the second being approved for rollout by the WHO, the first being Mosquirix by GSK.

In a statement by the Director of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, the vaccine will prevent malaria in children 5 – 36 months of age.

Nigeria has a global malaria burden of 27%. This makes it the worst-hit country in the world with children under five being most affected.

The R21 malaria vaccine has been clinically tested and considered safe. It consists of three vaccine doses given 4 weeks apart and a booster dose 1 year after (injected into the thigh)

Effects of the Malaria Vaccine

Tests conducted indicate the vaccine has a good safety profile. The most common adverse event being a fever.

The Efficacy (ability to produce the desired effect) of the vaccine is also high at 77%. This means a vaccinated person has a 77% less chance of coming down with malaria. However, this is not enough to confer lifelong immunity.

This vaccine is different from the COVID vaccine. Malaria is a parasitic infection caused by an infected mosquito while the covid vaccine is against a virus.

The cost of the vaccine is not yet known. It is also not known when it will be available at the primary health care centers. However, the DG NAFDAC expects 100,000 doses from donor agencies soon.