Professor Rose Leke Bags L’Oréal-UNESCO International Award for Women in Science

To Prof Leke, vaccine significantly reduces the severity of malaria in children, ultimately saving lives

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

BUEA, Cameroon – Professor Rose Gana Fomban Leke, an esteemed immunologist has bagged the L'Oréal-UNESCO International Award for Women in Science – one of five regional winners for the year 2024.

This year’s laureates were acknowledged “for their pioneering research in life and environmental sciences, particularly their major contribution to tackling global public health challenges ranging from cancer to infectious diseases such as malaria and polio and chronic illnesses such as obesity, diabetes and epilepsy,” said the statement.

The emeritus professor of immunology and parasitology at the University of Yaounde I in Cameroon, Leke received the award for the Africa and Arab States region on 28 May for her research and pioneering work in the fight against malaria, the eradication of polio and improving immunisation in Africa, as well as her efforts to support young scientists.

“This L'Oreal UNESCO International Awards for Women in Science, it's very important and for L'Oreal to put this really, we're grateful to L'Oreal UNESCO for this. What it means to me personally at the end of my career like I am now, I'm really honoured with this prize and humbled and I'm pleased though,” Professor Rose Leke told Ndea Yoka of africanews.

“I hope it will be a great inspiration, a great encouragement for younger women and I'm thinking about what they would do with it, that it'd be an encouragement for them to move on because it's not easy being a woman in science.”

Reflecting on technological strides, Professor Leke emphasizes the pivotal role of mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. She lauds the establishment of BioNTech's manufacturing facility in Kigali, Rwanda, which marks a critical step towards Africa’s self-sufficiency in vaccine production. 

Professor Leke said: “mRNA vaccines, you know, they've saved us a lot and you know how important they've been for COVID. But the good story with us on the continent is these vaccines, you know, for COVID, they were being made outside of Africa, being sent to Africa, we didn't even have enough, and we had problems getting them. Now, last December, BioNTech took one of their very important and installed one of their manufacturing facilities in Kigali, Rwanda. So, from that, there is a lot of hope.”

Cameroon recently launched a systematic malaria vaccination campaign. Despite initial scepticism, the campaign has seen encouraging participation and no adverse side effects, signalling a positive reception among the populace.

“That launch was supposed to be in December, but I give credit to the government because, with vaccine hesitancy and so on, they needed to put in place good communication. In the beginning, people were thinking, oh, it won't work out. So, it was launched and I was at that launch,” Professor Leke added.

“And a few weeks later, I want to assure you that I went back and I saw the numbers that they have there. It's so encouraging in the vaccination. People have come for the first dose. The mothers have brought the children a second dose. They've come back. They've come back for the third dose.”

Addressing the concerns of parents about the malaria vaccine's partial effectiveness, Professor Leke urges trust in the vaccine, citing successful pilot programs in Kenya, Ghana, and Malawi. She reassures that the vaccine significantly reduces the severity of malaria in children, ultimately saving lives.

Professor Leke said: “Just to tell them that the vaccine if you go to places where the pilots were done, like in Kenya and Ghana and Malawi, if you go there where they did the pilots for this, the mothers are so happy. I think that what I want to say to parents is, to trust this vaccine. It is working in other areas to do what it's supposed to do, less severe malaria for children. It will help the children. It is saving lives and it will continue to save lives.”

Professor Leke has received multiple awards for her scientific work. Last year, she received the 2023 Virchow Prize for Global Health under the high patronage of the president of the German Bundestag, Bärbel Bas.