London: The UK government celebrated its vaccine collaboration with India, which would aid in the fight against malaria, which is one of the leading causes of child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Two crucial, potentially life-saving malaria vaccines, RTS, S, and R21, have been produced as a consequence of cooperation between Indian producers and British scientists. Since 2019, they have been administered to two million children in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi. In January, Cameroon became the first nation to regularly vaccinate children.
"The two vaccines represent noteworthy scientific achievements and crucial supplements to our arsenal in combating malaria," stated Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the UK's Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), in a recent statement.
"In order to vaccinate over 6 million children by the end of 2025, both vaccines are currently being distributed throughout Africa. Without a solid UK-Indian relationship, this enormous advancement in the fight against malaria would not have been possible, the speaker stated.
Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Benin will start their first distribution of the UK-Indian created RTS,S vaccine on World Malaria Day, according to the FCDO, "marking a significant milestone in ending malaria."
"Another example of the UK-Indian partnership succeeding. The collaborative endeavor in creating and producing a pair of malaria vaccines," replied the Indian High Commission in London.
The Vaccine Alliance, a group that supports Gavi's core immunization program and is presently assisting in the distribution of the RTS,S malaria vaccine, counts the United Kingdom as its largest sovereign donor. With approval to distribute the vaccine in 22 nations, Gavi hopes to vaccinate over six million children against malaria by the end of 2025.
The two WHO-approved malaria vaccines were created by UK researchers at GSK and the University of Oxford, and Indian pharmaceutical companies are currently producing them on a large scale. Bharat Biotech is producing the GSK vaccine RTS,S, and the University of Oxford is producing the more recent
According to UK ministers, results from a significant pilot research that started in 2019 and involved implementing RTS,S in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi revealed that 13% more children are not dying from malaria when combined with other malaria therapies.
The FCDO announced that the UK would provide GBP 7.4 million to enable countries worldwide to obtain malaria medications and tests. With this investment, MedAccess will receive a total of GBP 17.4 million in UK support, enabling 1 million individuals to receive new diagnostic tests and 120 million patients to receive anti-malarial medicines. MedAccess assures sales volumes of medications in unpredictable markets at reasonable costs.
It is anticipated that over 50 million individuals will have access to medications and other supplies in three years.
Deputy Foreign Secretary and Minister for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell stated, "Deaths from malaria are entirely preventable and the UK's support for MedAccess will ensure that countries can afford to offer people the best protection against the disease."
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