APO News from Africa:
Ghana, Kenya and Malawi to take part in WHO malaria vaccine pilot programme:
The World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO) announced today that Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi will take part in a WHO-coordinated malaria vaccine implementation programme (MVIP) that will make the world’s first malaria vaccine available in selected areas, beginning in 2018.
The injectable vaccine, RTS,S, was developed to protect young children from the most deadly form of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum. RTS,S will be assessed in the pilot programme as a complementary malaria control tool that could potentially be added to the core package of WHO-recommended measures for malaria prevention.
“The prospect of a malaria vaccine is great news. Information gathered in the pilot programme will help us make decisions on the wider use of this vaccine, said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Combined with existing malaria interventions, such a vaccine would have the potential to save tens of thousands of lives in Africa,” she added.
Africa bears the greatest burden of malaria worldwide. Global efforts in the last 15 years have led to a 62 percent reduction in malaria deaths between 2000 and 2015, yet approximately 429,000 people died of the disease in 2015, the majority of them young children in Africa.
The WHO pilot programme will assess whether the vaccine’s protective effect in children aged 5 – 17 months old during Phase 3 testing can be replicated in real-life. Specifically, the pilot programme will assess the feasibility of delivering the required four doses of RTS,S, the vaccine’s potential role in reducing childhood deaths, and its safety in the context of routine use.
WHO recommendations and RTS,S
RTS,S was developed by GSK and is the first malaria vaccine to have successfully completed a Phase 3 clinical trial. The trial was conducted between 2009 and 2014 through a partnership involving GSK, the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), and a network of African research sites in seven African countries—including Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.
RTS,S is also the first malaria vaccine to have obtained a positive scientific opinion from a stringent medicines regulatory authority, the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The opinion indicated that, in EMA’s assessment, the quality of the vaccine and its risk-benefit profile was favorable from a regulatory perspective.
In October 2015, two independent WHO advisory groups, comprised of the world’s foremost experts on vaccines and malaria, recommended pilot implementation of RTS,S in three to five settings in sub-Saharan Africa. The recommendation came from the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization and the Malaria Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC), following a joint review of all available evidence on the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. WHO formally adopted the recommendation in January 2016.
Pilot implementation
The three countries were selected to participate in the pilot programme based on the following criteria: high coverage of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs); well-functioning malaria and immunisation programmes, a high malaria burden even after scale-up of LLINs, and participation in the Phase 3 RTS,S malaria vaccine trial. Each of the three countries will decide on the districts and regions to be included in the pilots. High malaria burden areas will be prioritized, as this is where the benefit of the vaccine is predicted to be highest. Information garnered from the pilot will help to inform later decisions about potential wider use of the vaccine.
The malaria vaccine will be administered via intramuscular injection and delivered through the routine national immunization programmes. WHO is working with the three countries to facilitate regulatory authorization of the vaccine for use in the pilots through the African Vaccine Regulatory Forum (AVAREF). Regulatory support will also include measures to enable the appropriate safety monitoring of the vaccine and rigorous evaluation for eventual large scale use.
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and UNITAID, are partnering to provide US$ 49.2 million for the first phase of the pilot programme (2017-2020) which will be complemented by in-kind contributions from WHO and GSK.
Distributed by APO on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO).
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
Promoting U.S.-Egypt Collaboration in Science and Technology:
Meeting in Cairo April 23-24, the Board of Directors of the U.S.-Egypt Science and Technology Joint Fund continued a long tradition of U.S.-Egypt cooperation on high-impact research between Egyptian and American scientists by approving 15 joint projects in the fields of agriculture, energy, health, and water. The board also agreed to continue to dedicate a portion of its funding toward innovation-related activities.
The Joint Fund has provided grants for more than 500 collaborative projects involving Egyptian and U.S. scientists in a wide variety of fields, including agriculture, engineering, health, renewable energy, and water. Targeting areas that help promote health and prosperity, recent research has contributed to vaccines for the H5N1 Avian Influenza virus, developed highly efficient solar cells, and improved wheat and citrus production while reducing the use of chemical fertilizers. The Joint Fund also continues to increase the role of science, innovation, and technology commercialization in promoting economic growth.
“The U.S.-Egypt Science and Technology Joint Fund is a superb example of the way bilateral cooperation can help make the world a healthier place for all of us,” Ambassador Beecroft said. “Since 1995, the Joint Fund has promoted science collaboration to address development challenges and promote economic growth. It has a direct and positive impact on people’s lives.”
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Jonathan Margolis, led the U.S. delegation at the Joint Fund board meeting. The delegation included board members from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Science Foundation.
For more information on the U.S.-Egypt Science and Technology Joint Fund and its activities, please see http://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/egypt/index.htm or https://eg.usembassy.gov/education-culture/joint-science-technology-fund.
Distributed by APO on behalf of U.S. Embassy – Cairo.
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
To celebrate the launch of the revised European Union (EU) Guidelines on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child, Plan International is partnering with the European External Action Service to organize a global youth takeover of EU Delegation social media accounts.
Throughout April, young people across Africa, Asia and the Americas will share their views on the challenges children in their country face, and what more needs to be done to ensure every child’s rights are realized, directly from the Twitter and Facebook accounts of participating EU Delegations. In Ghana, the Youth Takeover will take place on Wednesday, April 26th, from 10am – 2pm.
The revised Guidelines set the EU’s overarching strategy to defend and promote children’s rights in the world. They set out the actions that EU officials should take, and outline the principles underpinning EU action, the priorities for EU engagement and the tools which can be used.
“Every child should have the ability to achieve their fullest potential, this means they should learn, lead, decide and thrive in order to create a just world in which all children’s rights are realized. This cannot be achieved if children do not participate in their own decision making,” Madam Fadimata Alainchar, Country Director of Plan International Ghana.
“The European Union has identified the need for the promotion and protection of child rights in Ghana as part of the EU Country Human Rights Strategy. The EU Country Human Rights strategy is written after extensive consultations with Human Rights Defenders in Ghana including the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, with EU Member States also involved”, William Hanna, Head of the European Union Delegation to Ghana.
“The EU Delegation in 2012 and 2013 pooled funds and launched a call for proposal focused on the promotion and protection of children from abuse, exploitation and exposure to harm. These calls are targeted at civil society organizations as well as state institutions such as the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice to work with state agencies such as the local authorities and also communities to implement specific activities aimed at ensuring the protection of children from the violation of their rights” he stated.
Mr. Hanna observed that the EU delegation has launched another call in 2017 to promote and protect child rights in Ghana. This call aims at supporting civil society organizations to work with relevant stakeholders in ensuring the protection of children from violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect. In the reviewed Human Rights Country strategy for Ghana the issue of Child Rights remains a priority. The EU and Member States will work with other organizations and agencies such as civil society organizations, UN agencies, the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, the Ministry for Gender, Children and Social protection to ensure the protection of children.
“It is important to consider the views of young people as they understand the issues that affect them better.” Harriet Ndanu, a youth Ambassador of Plan International Ghana stated.
Follow the takeover on Twitter (@WilliamHannaEU, @EuropeInGhana) and Facebook (www.Facebook.com/EuDelegationToGhana) or using hashtags #YouthTakeover and EU4Children.
Distributed by APO on behalf of Delegation of the European Union to Ghana.
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
