The World Health Organization recommends expanded use of the malaria vaccine

The RTS,S vaccine was developed by a platform of African scientists and aims to combat the disease that causes 94% of deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.

This vaccine has the potential to save tens of thousands of young lives. “We have made amazing progress in the past two decades, malaria cases have been halved, but cases globally are still very high, with 200 million cases annually and more than 400,000 deaths,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Ghana, Malawi and Kenya were the first three countries to introduce the vaccine, in 2019, with 2.3 million vaccines administered and 800,000 children receiving at least one dose.

“It’s the best possible investment ever in public health,” said Pedro Alonso, director of the WHO’s Global Malaria Programme.

Approval of the vaccine would allow it to be included in, not replace, the suite of existing malaria control tools, such as insecticide-treated bednets, preventative drugs, diagnosis and treatment, though.

This pilot project in the three African countries confirmed the feasibility of giving the four doses needed for this vaccine, its role in reducing child mortality, and the possibility of integrating it into national vaccination programs without major complications.

As reported by Efe, citing a press conference today, the project also showed that the availability of the vaccine did not lead families in endemic areas to neglect the use of bed nets or had a negative impact on coverage of other vaccines. .

Research has shown that this vaccine can reduce the number of severe malaria cases that can lead to death by 30%.

Expansion of the RTS,S vaccine will require new investment, and the current approval by the World Health Organization will allow the Gavi platform to add the vaccine to its portfolio and consider investing in this product for the poorest countries.

The Global Malaria Report revealed that in 2019 there were 229 million cases of malaria and 400,000 deaths from this disease.

More than 90% of these deaths occur in Africa, and the majority – more than 265,000 – occur among young children.

RTS,S is the first and only vaccine proven to reduce the incidence of malaria in children, including severe, life-threatening malaria, related hospital admissions and the need for blood transfusions.

The Roll Back Malaria Partnership to End Malaria today welcomed the WHO’s decision, calling it a “historic recommendation”.

“The WHO declaration is a milestone for the global malaria community, and the Roll Back Malaria Partnership pays tribute to the commitment and efforts of many partners over three decades to reach this breakthrough in innovation,” said Abdel Rahman Diallo, chair of the organization’s Executive Board, in a published statement. on his website.

The organization noted that in the past two decades, with increased funding and political commitment and the development of “innovative tools,” the global burden of malaria has been “dramatically reduced, 1.5 million cases prevented and 7.6 million lives saved.”

Transmitted by mosquitoes, malaria can be transmitted multiple times throughout life, and can also harm children’s development and future lives when infected at a young age.