Abuja residents demand malaria vaccine

Some residents of Abuja on Monday appealed to the Federal Government to make malaria vaccine available to arrest the scourge in the country. A cross section of the residents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, urged the government to be proactive in eradicating malaria. Mrs Sandra Dominion, a resident, appealed […]

Some residents of Abuja on Monday appealed to the Federal Government to make malaria vaccine available to arrest the scourge in the country.

A cross section of the residents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, urged the government to be proactive in eradicating malaria.

Mrs Sandra Dominion, a resident, appealed to government to provide malaria vaccine since the problem was peculiar to the tropical region where Nigeria belongs.

“I am pleading with the government to find a better way and solution like vaccine prevention to tackle the scourge of malaria,” she said.

Mrs Christiana Obande, a civil servant, said that it was shameful that the country could not provide malaria vaccine despite the danger it posed to the citizenry.

She said government must proffer a lasting solution.

Mr Dauda Ibrahim, another resident, said “It is the responsibility of government to create the enabling environment that will encourage researcher to do the needful and make the vaccine available. Malaria could pose serious threat to human existence, if nothing is done.’’ 

A study showed that several malaria vaccine trials were going on across the globe but no malaria vaccine has been recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

But in 2017, the World was greeted with the news of discovery of an effective vaccine that offered up to 100 per cent protection from malaria by German researcher at the University of Tubingen in collaboration with a biotech company, Sonaria Incorporated.

The researcher demonstrated in a clinical trial that a new vaccine for malaria called sanaria PfSPZ-CVac has been up to 100 per cent effective when assessed at 10 weeks after last dose of vaccine.

Meanwhile, Dr Samuel Awolola, a Nigerian Entomologist and Coordinator, Malaria Research Programme, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, NIMR, cautioned Nigerians not to be carried away by result of the clinical trials.

Awolola said that there was no effective malaria vaccine yet. (NAN)