For years, this killer disease has posed significant challenges to people and communities.
However, in the past years global efforts to eradicate this killer disease also gained significant boost in all fronts.
The milestone achievement registered has indeed contributed immensely to the significant drop in the prevalence of malaria and of new infections of the disease.
The Gambia is one of the six countries in the World Health Organization African Region that have achieved the 2020 milestones of reducing malaria cases and deaths by 40% compared to 2015.
This is possible through strong support from partners and the aggressive campaign rollout by the Gambia government.
It is in the news that UNICEF has awarded a contract for the first-ever supply of a malaria vaccine to GSK with a value of up to USD170 million. The landmark award will lead to 18 million doses of RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) being available over the next three years, potentially saving thousands of lives every year.
According to UNICEF, in 2020, nearly half a million children died from malaria in Africa alone, a rate of one child death per minute.
It is believed that effective vaccine rollout is the only mechanism to eradicate the disease.
We only hope that vaccine developers will come up with more innovations to produce more effective and efficient vaccines to totally eradicate malaria on the face of the earth.
Therefore, families should be encouraged to sleep under insecticide treated bed nets. This would not only protect families, but ensure a safer environment for families.
Globally, the demand for the malaria vaccine is increasing as countries move to totally combat the disease.
Also, the advent of new vaccines has come to salvage humanity and is a dream come true. We only hope that there will be enough stock to serve developing countries.
As volumes increase, it is anticipated that the coming of this new innovation would cut costs per dose to ensure wider access.
Therefore, we salute UNICEF, partners and vaccine manufacturers for their plans to boost production and ensure transfer of technology so that every child at risk will one day have the opportunity to be immunized against this killer disease.