Malaria vaccine: The lasting solution to malaria burden in Africa

Abstract

Malaria is one of the deadliest infectious diseases in Africa. Many measures have been taken over the past few years to reduce the burden of malaria on public health following the recommendation of WHO, still, malaria has continued to rake devastation in Africa. Combating malaria in Africa has grown into an international concern. The eradication of malaia is a long-standing goal of public health initiatives globally. The development of vaccines will go a long way to provide the required immunity needed for the people living with malaria or vulnerable to malaria. It is imperative that a vaccine should be produced and rolled out for use, especially during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic when attention is given to mitigating the impact of the pandemic on public health. The malaria vaccine will reduce the number of hospital admission for malaria illness among children and other age groups. Africa will need to build strong innovations to overcome country-specific challenges in vaccination drive, human resources, and supply chain management. Accelerating education, sensitization, diagnosis, and eradication through joint efforts of the government, healthcare professionals and general population will help to prevent the dual synchronous epidemic of COVID-19 and Malaria in Africa.

Keywords: Africa; COVID-19; Challenges; Malaria; Malaria vaccine.

Fig. 1

An overview of challenges, opportunities, and recommendations to combat malaria in Africa.