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New multivalent meningococcal vaccine granted WHO prequalification
MenFive®, the first conjugate vaccine to protect against the five predominant causes of meningococcal meningitis in Africa (serogroups A, C, W, Y, and X), has been prequalified by the World Health Organization (WHO). Developed over a decade-plus period by Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. (SIIPL) and PATH, with funding from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, MenFive is designed to eliminate annual meningococcal meningitis outbreaks and epidemics in the African meningitis belt—a string of 26 countries from Senegal and The Gambia in the west to Ethiopia in the east. It is the only vaccine that prevents meningitis caused by serogroup X, a pathogen increasingly implicated in African meningitis outbreaks. Meningococcal meningitis is a bacterial infection that sets in rapidly and can kill within hours. It can cause severe brain damage and sepsis and is fatal in 50 percent of cases if untreated. MenFive builds on the legacy of MenAfriVac®, SIIPL’s groundbreaking vaccine—developed in partnership with PATH and WHO—that eliminated meningitis A outbreaks from the African meningitis belt following its 2010 introduction. Approved by WHO for individuals 1 to 85 years of age, MenFive will initially be used in reactive campaigns for meningitis outbreaks. Discussions are underway about ways to incorporate MenFive into mass vaccination campaigns and/or routine immunization.
Malawi introduces TCV
Malawi introduced typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) into its routine immunization program beginning with a week-long campaign in May for children between the ages of 9 months and younger than 15 years. The integrated campaign included TCV, measles-rubella, and polio vaccines, as well as vitamin A supplementation for eligible children, further strengthening Malawi’s routine immunization program. Malawi’s health services reached more than 7 million children across the country during the campaign. Malawi now offers TCV at routine childhood wellness visits at 9 months old. Malawi experiences a high burden of typhoid. Increasing drug-resistant typhoid and climate change challenges like the recent Cyclone Freddy also raise typhoid risks. The introduction of TCV into Malawi’s routine childhood immunization schedule is a major step forward in protecting children from this potentially deadly disease. PATH, as part of the Typhoid Vaccine Acceleration Consortium (TyVAC), was a key partner to Malawi’s Ministry of Health and Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) to support the campaign. 
Pivotal study reaffirms efficacy of a single-dose HPV vaccine schedule
Launched in 2018, the randomized, controlled KENya Single-dose HPV vaccine Efficacy (KEN SHE) study in African adolescent girls and young women previously showed that a single dose of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination was about 98 percent effective in preventing new onset persistent HPV 16/18 in a sexually active population (15–20 year-olds). Newly available three-year post-vaccination data show persisting vaccine efficacy, lending further confidence to findings of persistent immune response seen in observational studies. On the heels of the study milestone, PATH and partners launched a statement on the critical opportunity to reach more girls and protect more women against cervical cancer with one dose of HPV vaccine. The statement reinforces WHO’s 2022 endorsement of a single dose schedule and summarizes the growing evidence base from diverse geographies.
Kenya’s Vihiga County shares lessons on malaria vaccination
Western Kenya’s Vihiga County recently won recognition for its high childhood immunization coverage—96 percent of children in Vihiga receive their full course of recommended vaccines. Vihiga is one of eight counties in Kenya’s malaria-endemic lake region that has provided RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine through the routine immunization system since 2019 as part of a pilot program funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund, and Unitaid. The program, which also includes malaria vaccination in parts of Ghana and Malawi, is coordinated by WHO in collaboration with the ministries of health of the three countries and partners including PATH, GSK, and UNICEF. Vihiga attributes the county’s overall immunization successes to a strong community health strategy, where community health volunteers work closely with health care workers to identify children who miss vaccine doses and strategize how to reach them. In addition, the county team—including malaria coordinators, health promotion officers, and community health strategists—have used every available communications platform to respond to communities’ questions and concerns.
Doses of first-ever malaria vaccine are allocated to 12 African countries
In response to high demand for the first-ever malaria vaccine, 12 countries in Africa will be allocated a total of 18 million doses of RTS,S/AS01 for the period 2023–2025. A joint press release by Gavi, WHO, and UNICEF calls the roll out a critical step forward in the fight against one of the leading causes of death in the continent. |
