Speaking to Daily Trust via telephone, Enabulele cautioned that other preventive measures should not be abandoned since the vaccine does not provide 100% immunity.
Enabulele advised that African nations should invest in the trials to boost its effectiveness so as to reduce the monumental mortality caused by malaria.
Chief executive officer of the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria, Dr. Patrick Sunday Dakum, yesterday welcomed announcement by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline that it is seeking regulatory approval for the world’s first malaria vaccine saying it will be an additional tool to fight malaria. But he also cautioned that since the vaccine confers only 50% immunity and not 100%, there is a lot more to do to contain the disease.
Speaking to Daily Trust, Dr. Dakum said: “This does not mean that we should slow down on our efforts which include distribution of mosquito nets, residual indoor spray and early treatment of the disease. Since this vaccine cannot give 100% protection – especially in rural areas where the burden is high – precaution needs to be taken to stop one from getting malaria.”
According to Dr. Dakum, it is important to wait for the cost implication, noting that developing countries always encounter that as a barrier if not assisted by donor agencies.
