A research unit in West Africa is tracking how well malaria drugs, pneumonia vaccines, and rotavirus shots actually work in the field, and using that data to rewrite national treatment policies. This matters because the region carries the world’s heaviest burden of malaria, pneumococcal disease, and rotavirus—three of the biggest killers of children under five. Without local data, treatment guidelines are often based on studies from other continents, where parasite strains, immune histories, and health infrastructure differ. The unit also noticed that COVID-19 was far less severe in rural West Africa than models predicted, and is now investigating why. If this work succeeds, it will keep national treatment policies grounded in real-world evidence rather than imported assumptions. That means malaria patients get drugs that still work, children receive vaccines proven to reduce deaths in their own communities, and health systems avoid wasting money on ineffective interventions. The COVID-19 findings could also inform pandemic preparedness for low-resource settings globally.
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The theme has a large portfolio that includes research aimed to decrease the burden of the most common causes of illness and mortality in the West African region, namely malaria, infections caused by bacteria and infections caused by viruses. From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the theme has developed a large portfolio to try to understand the effect of the pandemic in the country and why the severity of the infections has been lower than anticipated. The research conducted by the Theme has generated knowledge in the different areas. Some key examples follow: - Research at the theme works on the control of malaria (to decrease the annual number of cases) and elimination (to reach the 0 cases). In malaria control, the Unit has worked along with the National Malaria Control Program to monitor the efficacy of different anti-malarial medicines and with the results update the National treatment policy of malaria patients. In malaria elimination, the theme has designed novel interventions against malaria in regions where the number of cases is very low (reactive treatment). These studies are important in pre-elimination stages. - Research conducted by the theme has informed national and international policies on the immunization with the Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. This is important as Pneumococcus is still a main contributor of under-5 mortality in the region. - The Theme provided data for the introduction of the Rotavirus vaccine in the country followed by data on the effect of the vaccine in reducing Rotavirus cases and deaths. - During 2020, the first wave of COVID-19 disease did not increase mortality in the rural areas of the country.
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