R21 Malaria Vaccine

• With the clearance of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine, which was created by the University of Oxford and produced by the Serum Institute of India, Nigeria made medical history.
• After Ghana, it is the second nation to accomplish so.

About

• The R21, also known as the Matrix-M malaria vaccine, is the second disease-specific vaccination ever created.
• In 2021, the WHO authorised RTS, S or mosquirix, the first-ever malaria vaccine.
• Nine nations, including the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan, Paraguay, Uzbekistan, Argentina, Algeria, China (2021), and El Salvador (2021), have received this certification from the WHO Director-General since 2015.

About malaria

• Malaria is a parasite-based illness spread by mosquitoes. It is spread by the Plasmodium parasite (Plasmodium vivax) carried by an infected Anopheles mosquito. This mosquito bites a person, releasing the parasite into the circulation.
• It is most common in Africa, followed by Asia and Latin America, and is found in tropical and subtropical temperatures where the parasites can grow. The Middle East and Europe are also somewhat impacted, though to a far lesser extent.
• According to the World Malaria Report from 2020, there were around 229 million cases of malaria worldwide in 2019, and the disease spread by mosquitoes claimed 409,000 lives.

Cause

• Plasmodium parasites are to blame for the disease, which is fatal.
• Anopheles stephensi's (the malarial vector) bite
• sharing needles that are contaminated
• the transfer of organs
• exchange of blood

Transmission:

• The parasites are transmitted through the bites of female Anopheles mosquitoes that are infected.
• Parasites begin to proliferate in liver cells in the human body before attacking Red Blood Cells (RBCs).
• Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, two of the five parasite species that cause malaria in humans, are the most dangerous.

Prevention

• If the proper actions are taken to avoid getting bitten by a mosquito or to treat the symptoms brought on by parasites infiltrating the body, this disease can be avoided and even cured.
• As it is very successful at avoiding infection and lowering disease transmission, vector control is a crucial part of disease control and elimination efforts. ITNs (insecticide-treated nets) and IRS (indoor residual spraying) are the two main therapies.

Disease Burden

• The number of malaria cases increased from 245 million in 2020 to 247 million in 2021, according to the most recent World Malaria Report.
• Over 45,000 cases of malaria were reported in India in 2022.
• In the WHO African Region, children under the age of five made up roughly 80% of all malaria deaths.

The National Strategic Plan of India for Malaria Elimination

• Following are the goals of the NSP for Malaria Elimination:
• To guarantee that every case of malaria is correctly diagnosed as a parasite infection and that every confirmed case is treated in full, achieve universal coverage of case detection and treatment services in endemic districts.
• To proceed towards the complete eradication of malaria, the surveillance system must be improved to identify, alert, investigate, classify, and respond to all cases in all districts.
• Utilise an effective vector control intervention to achieve nearly universal coverage of the population at risk for malaria.
• With the right vector control intervention, work towards almost universal coverage of the population at risk for malaria.
• In order to execute a combination of focused interventions for malaria elimination, ensure good programme administration and coordination at all levels.
• By 2027, the Indian government hopes to have eradicated malaria in the country.
• MERA-India (Malaria Elimination Research Alliance)
• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) founded
• It is a group of collaborators engaged in the fight against malaria.

Global step

• Under its "E-2025 Initiative," the WHO has also identified 25 nations with the capacity to eradicate malaria by 2025.
• According to the WHO's Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016–2030, case incidence and fatality rates from malaria are expected to decline by at least 40% by 2020, at least 75% by 2025, and at least 90% by 2030 compared to baseline year 2015.
• In 11 countries with high malaria burdens, including India, WHO has launched the High Burden to High Impact (HBHI) initiative.
• Four states—West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh—have begun implementing the "High Burden to High Impact (HBHI)" initiative.

Way ahead

• India should be able to take the lead in vaccine development and production thanks to its thriving and committed biopharma industry.
• Better coordination of regulatory and logistical processes, long-term continuous funding, and other factors are required to assist scientists in the creation of innovative vaccines against infectious illnesses.