The world’s first malaria vaccine is now available through the routine childhood immunization programme to children in selected areas of Ghana, Kenya and Malawi as part of the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP). The pilot introduction of the first malaria vaccine is a historic milestone in the quest for additional tools to fight malaria – a disease that claims the life of one child every two minutes. The MVIP is jointly coordinated by the Immunization, Vaccines & Biologicals (IVB) department, the Global Malaria Programme (GMP) and the WHO Regional Office for Africa, collaborating closely with the ministries of health in each pilot country, PATH, and a range of international and in-country partners. Information gained through the pilot introduction will inform a WHO policy recommendation on the broader use of the vaccine across sub-Saharan Africa.
Objectives of the meeting:
• provide an overview of the current malaria situation and the potential role of the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine as complementary prevention tool;
• update stakeholders on the progress of the pilot implementation, and outline the pathway towards a WHO policy decision on broader use;
• discuss approaches for access to the vaccine (dependent on a policy decision) and start a dialogue on how supply availability can be optimized to meet access objectives;
• share perspectives on the types of policy and funding decisions that need to take place to realize the potential of the vaccine as an additional prevention tool that has the potential to change the trajectory of malaria.
