Foreign News
Ghana First to Approve Oxford’s Malaria Vaccine
Ghana on Thursday said it is the first country in the world to approve a new malaria vaccine from Oxford University, with children under the age of three-years-old in line to benefit.
The mosquito-borne disease kills more than 600,000 people each year, most of them children in Africa, and scientists have been trying for years to develop vaccines.
It is unclear when the Oxford vaccine will be rolled out in Ghana.
Childhood vaccines in Africa are typically paid for by international organisations such as Gavi and UNICEF after they have been backed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which is still assessing the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness.
However, Oxford scientist, Adrian Hill said Ghana’s drug regulator has approved it for the age group at highest risk of death from malaria, children aged 5 months to 36 months.
It has a deal with Serum Institute of India to produce up to 200 million doses annually.
This is the first time a major vaccine has been approved first in an African country ahead of rich nations, Hill said.
It was unusual that a regulatory authority in Africa had reviewed the data quicker than the WHO, he added.
“Particularly since COVID, African regulators have been taking a much more proactive stance, they’ve been saying…we don’t want to be last in the queue,’’ Hill said.
The first malaria vaccine, Mosquirix from British drugmaker GSK (GSK.L), was endorsed by the WHO in 2022 after decades of work.
However, lack of funding and commercial potential thwarted the company’s capacity to produce as many dose as needed.
GSK has committed to produce up to 15 million doses of Mosquirix every year through 2028, well under the roughly 100 million doses a year of the four-dose vaccine the WHO says is needed long-term to cover around 25 million children.
Ghana, Kenya and Malawi were all involved in the pilot programme for the roll-out of Mosquirix, and have begun rolling it out more widely in recent months.
Since it began in 2019, 1.2 million children across the three countries have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Meanwhile, the WHO said in march that in the areas where the vaccine has been given, all-cause child mortality has dropped by 10 per cent, a sign of its impact.
Mid-stage data from the Oxford vaccine trial involving more than 400 young children was published in a medical journal in September.
While the vaccine effectiveness was 80 per cent in the group that received a higher dose of the immune-boosting adjuvant component of the vaccine, and 70 per cent in the lower-dose adjuvant group, at 12 months following the fourth dose.
The doses were administered ahead of the of peak malaria season in Burkina Faso.
Data from an ongoing phase III clinical trial in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali and Tanzania that has enrolled 4,800 children is expected to be published in a medical journal in the coming months.
However, late-stage data, which suggests a similar vaccine performance as in the phase II trial has been shared with regulatory authorities over the last six months, Hill said.(Reuters/NAN)
At least 51 people have died in the severe storms in Spain, specifically in the Mediterranean region of Valencia, the Spanish news agency Europa Press reported on Wednesday.
The report cited the regional government in Valencia.
Torrential rain and widespread flooding have wreaked havoc across Spain, and several people are reportedly still missing, according to the authorities.
Rescue operations are ongoing in many areas.
The situation is particularly dire in the Mediterranean coastal regions of Andalusia, Murcia and Valencia, which are very popular with holidaymakers.
The regional leader of Valencia, Carlos Mazón, has called on residents to move to higher ground.
In some areas, residents were trapped in their homes and sent emergency messages via social media, the newspaper El País reported.
In addition to heavy rainfall, there was also hail and strong gusts of wind, according to the national weather service AEMET.
“The hailstones were the size of golf balls. It seemed like the end of the world,’’ farmer Mercedes González, 46, told El País.
The storms have caused rivers to overflow, flooding streets, homes, and fields, with cars and trees swept away by the floodwaters.
The area of rain is expected to move north-east today.
However, a severe weather warning remains in place for large parts of the country.
The weather service said that the situation across Spain would not fully calm until Thursday.
In the south and east of Spain, motorways and rural roads had to be closed in many places.
Air and rail transport were also affected. Classes were cancelled at numerous schools and universities.
Due to a landslide, a high-speed train travelling from Málaga to Madrid derailed shortly after departure with 291 passengers on board.
However, there were no injuries reported, Spain’s state-owned railway Renfe said.
The storm with heavy rain had already hit Mallorca and other Balearic Islands on Monday.
The situation there has eased, although a yellow storm warning was still in force for some areas, including Mallorca.
Heavy rainfall events have become more frequent and intense worldwide, largely due to climate change.
As global temperatures rise, warmer air holds more moisture, leading to increased precipitation levels.
However, flooding is not solely a result of changing weather patterns.
Other human activities, such as urban development, deforestation, and inadequate infrastructure, also contribute significantly to flood risks. (dpa/NAN)
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has accused Israel of barring medical specialists from entering Gaza to support clinics in the besieged enclave.
The WHO said since August, eight organisations and over 50 specialised personnel had been affected by Israel’s blockade.
The specialists were intended to provide crucial support for various medical services, as well as psychological support for healthcare workers at facilities including the European Gaza Hospital and the Nasser Hospital, the WHO said.
It was reported that among the organisations denied entry was the U.S.non-profit Palestinian American Medical Association, which supports Palestinians in need of medical care.
According to the WHO, this marks the first instance in which Israel has denied entire organisations the ability to participate in relief efforts for the Gaza Strip.
The WHO reported that in the past week, support teams conducted 25 per cent fewer operations than usual.
With only 17 out of 36 clinics and 43 medical practices remaining partially operational, the WHO emphasised the irreplaceable role of these external teams in providing essential medical services.
The WHO called for full access for emergency aid teams. (dpa/NAN)
It is Germany’s responsibility to make sure that a war between Russia and Ukraine does not become a war between Russia and NATO, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
He said this as he repeated his “nein” to sending long-range weapons to Kiev.
“I don’t consider this to be a proper delivery and that’s how it will stay,” Scholz said after a European Union summit in Brussels.
Scholz rejected key points in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “victory plan” out of concerns of future escalation.
Zelensky presented his “victory plan” at the meeting and called on Scholz, again to send him Taurus cruise missiles.
The Ukrainian leader believes a deterrent missile arsenal could force Russia into peace negotiations.
Scholz also maintained his stance against a quick invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, as outlined in Zelensky’s plan.
The United States also opposes a fast-track NATO entry for Ukraine.
The chancellor referred to the resolutions of the most recent NATO summit in Washington, which offers Ukraine a general assurance that it could no longer be stopped on its way into the defence alliance.
He further said all allies must agree that NATO conditions are met for an invitation.
These include reforms in the areas of democracy, the economy and the security sector.
Scholz also used the occasion to take a swipe at his main opposition in the Bundestag or German parliament, Christian Democratic (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz.
He complained that Merz flip-flopped on Taurus deliveries, taking a no-delivery position before key elections in east Germany and changing his position after that. (dpa/NAN)
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