Bangui, May 25, 2024 (Lusa) -- The Central African Republic (CAR) has become the first country in the world to receive a new malaria vaccine, the R21/Matrix-M, approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) last October, the UN agency said.

In a statement released on Friday night, WHO said that the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) delivered more than 43,000 doses by air to the Central African capital, Bangui, on the same day, with more than 120,000 expected in the coming days.

"[CAR is] the first country to receive the 'R21' malaria vaccine for use in routine childhood immunization, marking another step forward in preventing the disease and saving children's lives," the organization said.

In 2021, WHO already recommended the use of the 'RTS,S/AS01' vaccine, better known as 'Mosquirix', in areas of moderate to high malaria transmission.

Since 2019, in a program coordinated by WHO, Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have administered the vaccine to more than two million children, registering a 13% drop in deaths and a substantial reduction in severe malaria.

In 2023, the organization approved the launch of 'Mosquirix', in addition to approving a second vaccine, the 'R21/Matrix-M'. Now, CAR is the first country to receive the vaccine for routine use.

"With two products now available to countries, the scale-up of malaria vaccines is a game-changer for child survival and well-being," said UNICEF's Supply Division Director, Leila Pakkala.

Malaria is one of the world's deadliest diseases, killing about half a million children under the age of five each year in Africa.

CAR has one of the highest malaria incidence rates in the world.

WHO estimates that in 2022, there were just over 1.7 million cases of malaria in the country, causing 5,180 deaths.

The Central African Republic, along with Chad, Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Sudan and Uganda are preparing to receive shipments of R21/Matrix-M.

Malaria is a disease caused by parasites transmitted to humans through the bites of infected 'Anopheles' mosquitoes.

Africa is the world's main source of malaria infection, accounting for about 95% of malaria deaths worldwide and 94% of cases up to 2022.

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