WHO Approves World's First Malaria Vaccine
The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved the first ever vaccine for malaria, and recommended that it be used across the world to help fight the deadly disease.
The vaccine, known as RTS,S — or Mosquirix — is designed to prevent the parasite that causes malaria from infecting the liver, where it tries to multiply and go out to infect the body's red blood cells.
These parasites are transmitted to humans through the bites of certain types of infected mosquitoes. The disease can cause severe illness and even death if not treated quickly.
Mosquirix is not perfect, however: during four years of tests in Africa, it prevented only 39% of malaria cases and 29% of severe malaria cases in small children. But an August 2021 study found that its effectiveness is significantly improved when combined with antimalarial drugs.
Compared to taking antimalarial drugs alone, the drug-vaccine combination was 63% more effective at preventing malaria, 71% more effective at preventing hospitalization and 73% more effective at preventing death.
However, the vaccine requires four doses to be effective, given between the ages of 5 months and 18 months.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said that the vaccine could help save tens of thousands of young lives each year.
The WHO says Africa has more cases of malaria than anywhere else in the world. In 2019 the continent was home to 94% of malaria cases and deaths. The global death toll for malaria that year was over 400,000 people, of which more than 270,000 were children under 5.
According to the Against Malaria Foundation, up until now, the most effective way to fight malaria has been the use of bed nets. These are simple nets that have been treated with insecticide and can be hung around a person's bed to create a physical barrier between themselves and any mosquitos. Each net costs around $2 on average, and in 2019 they protected around 46% of people in Africa who were at risk of catching the disease.
