Download
WHO recommends broad use of Mosquirix malaria vaccine for children in Africa
Updated 02:12, 07-Oct-2021
CGTN
A health worker vaccinates a child against malaria in Ndhiwa, Homabay County, western Kenya on September 13, 2019 during the launch of malaria vaccine in Kenya. According to the World Health Organization, the vaccine (Mosquirix) vaccine could play a major role in the struggle to eradicate malaria deaths. /CFP

A health worker vaccinates a child against malaria in Ndhiwa, Homabay County, western Kenya on September 13, 2019 during the launch of malaria vaccine in Kenya. According to the World Health Organization, the vaccine (Mosquirix) vaccine could play a major role in the struggle to eradicate malaria deaths. /CFP

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the broad use of a malaria vaccine for children in Africa.

The WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom said on Wednesday that the RTS,S, or Mosquirix, a vaccine developed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L), could play a major role in the struggle to eradicate malaria deaths.

"Using this vaccine in addition to existing tools to prevent malaria could save tens of thousands of young lives each year," he said.

The recommendation is based on results from an ongoing pilot program in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi that has reached more than 800,000 children since 2019.

The latest development marks another milestone in the global war against malaria, which kills hundreds of thousands of people globally every year.

The WHO regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, said the recommendation "offers a glimmer of hope for the continent which shoulders the heaviest burden of the disease."

According to the WHO data, there were 229 million cases of malaria in 2019 compared to 228 million cases in 2018.

The estimated number of malaria deaths stood at 409,000 in 2019, compared with 411,000 deaths in 2018.

Africa is the hardest-hit region by the disease, accounting for 94 percent of all malaria cases and deaths.

In 2019, six countries accounted for approximately half of all malaria deaths worldwide: Nigeria (23%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (11%), Tanzania (5%), Burkina Faso (4%), Mozambique (4%) and Niger (4% each).

The WHO notes that children under 5 years of age are the most vulnerable group affected by malaria. In 2019, they accounted for 67 percent (274,000) of all malaria deaths worldwide.

Tedros said the "highly cost-effective" vaccine has been found to reduce life-threatening severe malaria.

"Malaria has been with us for millennia, and the dream of a malaria vaccine has been a long-held but unattainable dream," the WHO chief said. "Today, the RTS,S malaria vaccine – more than 30 years in the making – changes the course of public health history."

Search Trends