Ghana is not close to developing a malaria vaccine-WACCIP CEO reveals

Founding Director of the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), Prof. Gordon A. Awandare, has argued that the development of malaria vaccines has not been given the needed attention as has been given to the development of COVID-19 vaccines.
He bemoaned that the lack of attention given to malaria vaccines puts Ghana no where closer to developing Malaria vaccines.
Speaking to Rev. Erskine on the Y Leaderboard Series, he explained: “I would say we [Ghana] are not close to developing Malaria vaccines unfortunately. Malaria is such a complex disease and it has not received the level of attention like that which has been given to COVID-19. Malaria needs attention and not that suffocating attention. When COVID-19 came, everyone stopped what they were doing to focus on COVID-19. But it could be that Malaria has not affected the world like COVID-19″.
He, however, noted that Ghana has made a lot of progress when it comes to the fight against the Malaria disease.
He believes that with the development in urban areas, the malaria disease has not been widespread as it was before.
In about a year since the COVID-19 disease spread worldwide, research has been conducted to develop vaccines which are being distributed in several countries.
Although progress has been made in the last 10 years toward developing malaria vaccines, there is currently no licensed malaria vaccine on the market.
By: Alberta Dorcas N D Armah