Today, Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, reaffirmed the foundation’s long-term commitment to Africa and to working directly with countries to support breakthrough solutions in health, agriculture, gender equality, and other critical areas. In his first trip to Africa since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Bill Gates announced the foundation would spend…
HIV response: Pathway to success revealed
By Henry Opondo Campaigns to encourage HIV testing, particularly among groups that are most affected, free and easy access to treatment at the time of diagnosis with HIV and scale-up of evidence-based HIV prevention, such as voluntary medical male circumcision, pre-exposure prophylaxis and harm reduction have been attributed to lowering of HIV incidences and mortalities…
After Malawi, Kenya and Ghana set to launch Malaria Vaccine pilot
Malawi became the first country to launch the first Malaria vaccine pilots and thus providing a potentially valuable new tool in the fight against the disease. Kenya and Ghana will follow next with a combined target of vaccinating around 360,000 children per year in the three countries to evaluate the feasibility of delivering the required…
Malaria: Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi first countries to receive RTS, S malaria vaccine
Herman Opondo Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi were on Monday picked to 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…
Malaria: First vaccine to pilot in sub Saharan Africa
The WHO has confirmed that the world’s first malaria vaccine will be rolled out in pilot projects in sub-Saharan Africa after securing funding for the initial phase of the programme. Vaccinations are due to begin in 2018. The vaccine, known as RTS,S, acts against P. falciparum, the most deadly malaria parasite globally, and the most…