The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday recommended broad use of the world's first malaria vaccine for children, touting it as a breakthrough for “science, child health and malaria control.” The recommendation of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine is based on results from an ongoing pilot programme in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, which began in 2019.
Addressing a press briefing on malaria vaccine recommendations, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that tens of thousands of young lives could be saved every year by using the vaccine in addition to existing tools to prevent malaria.
“This is a powerful new tool, but like Covid-19 vaccines, it’s not the only tool. Vaccination against malaria does not replace or reduce the need for other measures, including bednets, or seeking care for fever,” the WHO chief told the media briefing.
Recalling his early career as a malaria researcher, Tedros said that he longed for the day that the world would have an effective vaccine against this "ancient and terrible disease.”
"Today is that day; an historic day," he added.
Malaria is transmitted through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. The mosquito-borne disease causes fever, chills, and flu-like illness. Without prompt treatment, patients may develop severe complications and die. According to the UN health agency, children under the age of 5 are the most vulnerable group affected by malaria.
Tedros noted that the world has made an "incredible progress" in the fight against the mosquito-borne disease in the past two decades but globally, the progress has stalled at an “unacceptably high level”, with over 200 million cases and 400,000 deaths every year.
{{/usCountry}}Tedros noted that the world has made an "incredible progress" in the fight against the mosquito-borne disease in the past two decades but globally, the progress has stalled at an “unacceptably high level”, with over 200 million cases and 400,000 deaths every year.
{{/usCountry}}“Two-thirds of those deaths are children under five in Africa,” he said.
According to a WHO estimate, nearly half of the world's population were at risk of the mosquito-borne disease in 2019, with most of the cases and deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.