What is Malaria?
Malaria is a debilitating disorder predominantly found in tropical regions. This includes many low and middle-income countries (LMICs) with low to moderate access to advanced healthcare systems. Malaria is caused by mosquito bites infected with the malaria-causing parasites. There are about 5 different types of parasites belonging to the genus Plasmodium that have been known to cause malaria in humans. Malaria can cause damage to the brain and respiratory system and may turn lethal if aggravated. In 2021 alone, globally, there were approximately 200 million Malaria cases causing about 600,000 deaths.
Malaria Vaccines
The first malaria vaccine targeting Plasmodium Falciparum was launched in 2019 and has to date vaccinated over a million children in African regions. Just this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended a second malaria vaccine, R21/Matrix M, developed in collaboration between Oxford University and the Serum Institute of India (SII). This vaccine has been designed to target only Plasmodium Falciparum possibly because it is the primary cause of malaria in high-endemic African regions. The vaccine has been licensed for use in Ghana, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso.
About R21/Matrix M
The Phase III trials for the vaccine showed safety and efficacy against malaria in about 75% of the cases. This vaccine contains an adjuvant from Novavax, to boost the immune system, which was earlier used against Covid-19. SII maintains the license of this adjuvant for usage in endemic countries. The vaccine will be primarily used against children aged 5 and below, with each child getting three doses and a booster. SII will manufacture 100 million doses of the vaccine per year with its production facility to double in a span of two years. This is a great achievement considering the low price of vaccine manufacturing in India. Moreover, as it is being manufactured at such a large scale its overall pricing will be even lower.
What’s in it for India ?
As the vaccine primarily targets P.Falciparum which predominantly is responsible for Malaria in African regions, R21/Matrix M won’t be used for Indian children where Malaria is also caused by P.Vivax. Moreover, from 2018 to 2022 over 60% of Malaria cases have been reduced in high-burden Indian states. This is primarily due to government interventions and awareness among people about the disease. Also, Indians infected with Malaria are above 5 years of age thus making the current vaccine ineffective.
Conclusion
This magnificent development is a great example of a long-term partnership between private and public institutes resulting in healthcare benefits to the masses. More such collaborative efforts can do wonders for the ever-growing health problems across the globe.
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