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A new malaria vaccine came to Cameroon this week and will be introduced in 20 additional countries. Experts stress that it's not a magic bullet. But they say it's a game-changer — with a bonus.
A new malaria vaccine came to Cameroon this week and will be introduced in 20 additional countries. Experts stress that it's not a magic bullet. But they say it's a game-changer — with a bonus.
The mosquito-borne disease kills more than 600,000 people a year, mainly in Africa, according to the World Health Organization. Children under five years old account for more than 80 percent of deaths on the continent. Following a pilot phase, the RTS,S vaccine is being rolled out at scale across Africa, starting in Cameroon. At a hospital in the town of Soa, 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the capital Yaounde, six-month-old Noah Ngah became the first to receive the injection at the facility.
Cameroon on Monday launched the first malaria vaccination programme to be offered nationwide and as a matter of routine, AFP journalists saw, in a step the WHO has described as "historic".