This archive report was first published on 6 October 2021.
On October 6, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) made history by endorsing the first ever vaccine to prevent malaria, a disease that has been a major public health concern for centuries.
The vaccine, manufactured by British company GlaxoSmithKline, has been shown to be highly effective in preventing malaria in children, with a significant 30 percent reduction in deadly severe malaria.
According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the vaccine is a 'historic moment' that could save tens of thousands of children's lives each year.
'The long-awaited malaria vaccine for children is a breakthrough for science, child health and malaria control,' he said in a statement.
The vaccine is recommended for children living in areas with 'moderate to high transmission' of P. falciparum malaria, and should be given in four doses, starting at 5 months old and administered one month apart.
The pilot program, which involved over 800,000 children across Ghana, Kenya and Malawi since 2019, has shown that more than two-thirds of children who are not sleeping under a bed net 'are benefiting from' the vaccine.
The WHO's endorsement of the vaccine is a major step forward in the fight against malaria, which is a leading cause of childhood illness and death in sub-Saharan Africa.
