Ghana Health Service plans to extend malaria vaccine exercise

The Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP) is being scaled -up from the current 49 districts to 93 districts across seven regions from 1st December 2022. On May 1, 2019, Ghana formally added the malaria vaccine, also known as the RTS,S, to its routine immunization program after a pilot program in 42 districts across seven regions was completed.

Ahafo, Bono, Bono East, Central, Oti, Upper East, and Volta were the regions that benefited.

The expansion of the MVIP is based on the recommendation of the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG), following the WHO recommendation for broader use of the vaccine in areas with moderate to high malaria transmission. The vaccine expansion will be in phase 1 which involves the 42 vaccine introduction districts, which has been successfully completed, phase 2, expansion to the additional 51 districts and phase 3 which provides nationwide scale-up to the remaining 168 districts based on the malaria burden and epidemiology as well as global availability of vaccines, from January 2024.

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In a press briefing held on November 17, 2022, Dr. Kwame Amponsah Achiano, the manager for the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) at the Ghana Health Service in his presentation, outlined the overview, malaria expansion, plans, and roadmaps for expansion and the role of the media to help spread positive information about the vaccine to cure malaria. “According to research; 2021 annual malaria report, there were 5.7 million confirmed cases of malaria in 2021 and 275 deaths. Children under the age of five (20% of the population) accounted for 1.6 million (28.1% of cases) of these cases and 125 deaths (45.4% of deaths)”. He disclosed this at the press briefing. Also in his presentation, he stated that ‘the vaccine reaches about 80-90% of children through the established immunization platform and, because of this high uptake, is reaching children who are not using other forms of prevention such as insecticide-treated net’.

‘Over the last 30 years, scientists including those in Ghana have worked very hard to develop a vaccine that will reduce malaria disease and deaths among children. Through their hard work, over two million children who are less than two years of age have safely received the RTS, S malaria vaccine across Africa’. A statement made by Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye, the Director General of Ghana Health Service. ‘We urge you, our media friends to continue supporting the service to promote positive behaviours that will help stop the spread of malaria. He concluded.

Mr. John Bawa from the African Lead, Vaccine implementation – PATH also said that the PATH will be in collaboration with the WHO to affirm their commitment to the country and other countries that are planning to come on board with the introduction of malaria vaccines to ensure that the vaccine is fully integrated into the comprehensive malaria control measures.