By Kemo Cham
Top Sierra Leonean researcher Prof. Osman Sankoh, whose contribution led to the certification last week of the landmark malaria vaccine, has said that he hopes the breakthrough is proof enough that research can save lives.
“My hope is that Sierra Leone and other African countries will have seen in this an example that the research we do can save lives,” he said, following reports of the approval by the World Health Organization (WHO) for widespread distribution of the jabs.
The RTS,S vaccine, which is also known as Mosquirix, was developed by the UK pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), in collaboration with PATH, a US-based non-profit global health organisation, and African research institutes.
Prof. Sankoh was part of a team of researchers who worked on the third phase of the study. He was Executive Director of the Ghana-based INDEPTH Network, a research institution, which coordinated the trial.
“It feels good that alongside many top African researchers like my former boss the Ghanaian Professor Fred Binka, I played a key role in the research activities that culminated in the breakthrough that is heralded today of the RTS,S vaccine against the scourge of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa,” Sankoh, who is now Statistician General and head of Statistics Sierra Leone, said, responding to a request for comments following news of the WHO approval.
The WHO’s announcement on Wednesday followed a decision by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts in Immunisation (SAGE) and the Malaria Policy Advisory Group (MPAG), which resolved to back the widespread deployment of the jab following the latest trials in Kenya, Ghana and Malawi.
Over 800,000 children in the three African countries that participated in the trials were given at least one dose of the vaccine since 2019 as part of their routine childhood immunisation programmes, according to the researchers.
The findings reveal that the vaccine proves safe and that it prevented 30 percent of severe cases of malaria.
Mosquirix is given in three doses between ages 5 and 17 months, and a fourth dose roughly 18 months later. The vaccine stimulates a child’s immune system to fight off the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, the deadliest of five known malaria pathogens and the most prevalent in Africa.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General, described the development as ‘historic’, adding that it’s a “breakthrough for science, child health and malaria control.” He stressed that using the new jab in addition to existing tools to prevent malaria could save tens of thousands of young lives each year.
“We still have a long road to travel. But this is a long stride down that road. The malaria vaccine is a gift to the world but its value will be felt most in Africa where the burden of malaria is greatest,” he said.
The WHO boss further hailed African researchers for generating the data and insights that informed the decision.
Malaria is a parasitic disease that is transmitted by the mosquito. The sickness starts with symptoms such as fever, headaches and chills. Without prompt treatment, it can progress to severe illness and often death.
WHO data show that over 200 million cases are recorded annually, with over 400, 000 deaths worldwide. Most of the cases and deaths occur in Africa.
According to the latest World malaria report, released on 30th November 2020, out of the 229 million cases worldwide in 2019, there were 409 000 deaths. Africa accounted for 94% of both cases and deaths, it shows.
Children, especially those under 5 years of age, are particularly at risk of contracting the disease, accounting for 67% (274 000) of the 2019 cases.
In Sierra Leone, like in most African countries, malaria is the topmost killer disease among children.
Despite its relatively low efficacy rate, experts say if added to existing malaria control interventions, the RTS,S vaccine’s impact could lead to significant reduction in illness and deaths and can considerably reduce the burden on the health systems of African countries.
Several malaria vaccine candidates are under consideration by the WHO, which says that the RTS,S is the first and only one to meet the required target.
Scientists first created the vaccine candidate in 1987. After years of testing and funding to the tune of an estimated $1bn, large scale trials started in 2009, involving a total of seven countries, including Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Gabon and Mozambique.
INDEPTH Network, which is headquartered in Ghana, was responsible for coordinating the Phase III trials in 2019, which involved Ghana, Malawi and Kenya, and whose published results paved the way for the study to move to the fourth and final stage leading to its approval.
Sankoh is proud that Sierra Leone participated through his involvement.
“I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to play a role because my country can proudly say that a Sierra Leonean contributed,” he said, adding: “It may take long and many may feel it's waste of funds where hospitals should be built instead with those funds. Who can today say all the money put into the development of the malaria vaccine was wasted? The world now has a vaccine that will save the lives of many children especially in sub-Saharan Africa.”
Prof. Sankoh also hailed the contributions of other organizations, notably GSK and the Gates Foundation for their financial support towards the development of the vaccine.
“I would have been prouder to be able to name several African countries or institutions that contributed significant funding to this. But this could be an eye opener for them, and I am hopeful, very hopeful for African researchers and science done in Africa, including Sierra Leone where I am now based and contributing my bit,” he said.
Copyright © Politico Online 11/10/21
