Ghana, Nigeria did not jump the gun on malaria vaccine approval, ET HealthWorld

The two countries’ provisional approval of the vaccine this month is unusual as the WHO is still assessing its safety and effectiveness. The mosquito-borne disease kills more than 600,000 people each year, most of them children in Africa.

Updated On Apr 20, 2023 at 07:06 PM IST

Bengaluru: An official from the World Health Organisation’s Africa office, Phionah Atuhebwe, said on Thursday that Ghana and Nigeria had not “jumped the gun” in approving Oxford University’s R21 malaria vaccine before clinical trials are complete.

The two countries’ provisional approval of the vaccine this month is unusual as the WHO is still assessing its safety and effectiveness.

The mosquito-borne disease kills more than 600,000 people each year, most of them children in Africa.