Cameroon launches world-first mass malaria vaccine programme

Cameroon has become the first country in the world to start routine vaccinations against malaria.

The jab will be offered to all infants there up to the age of six months old. Malaria kills more than 600,000 people every year, with 95 percent of deaths in Africa, and children under five are the most vulnerable.

The British-manufactured RTSS vaccine has already been shown to reduce child deaths by 13 percent through trials in Malawi, Kenya and Ghana, when used with other interventions like mosquito nets.

It will be rolled out in eight other countries alongside Cameroon this year.

We are joined by Aurelia Nguyen, who is Chief Programme Officer at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance who are distributing the vaccine.