💉 Hope in the fight against malaria: groundbreaking vaccines take center stage

"The development of malaria vaccines, which, after 100 years of research, had gone mostly nowhere – until very recently," writes Emma Varvaloucas from The Progress Network.

Over 600,000 people die from malaria each year, most of them young children.

Decline in malaria infections and deaths

We wrote earlier about the substantial reduction in child hospitalizations and deaths due to malaria in Kenya, thanks to the successful rollout of the world's first malaria RTS,S vaccine.

This comes as a result of the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme launched in 2019. Overall, more than 1.2 million children in Kenya, Malawi, and Ghana have been immunized.

💉 Fewer child deaths, thanks to new vaccine

In the past three years, the number of children hospitalized and deaths due to malaria has decreased significantly in Kenya, thanks to the launch of the world’s first malaria vaccine.

Warp NewsWarp Editorial Staff

A "world-changer" vaccine enters the scene

Meanwhile, Ghana has become the first country to approve a new malaria vaccine called R21, described as a "world-changer" by its developers.

Developed at the University of Oxford, R21 has shown remarkable efficacy levels. Preliminary studies in Burkina Faso revealed an effectiveness of up to 80% when given as three initial doses and a booster a year later.

The country with the highest rate of malaria deaths in the world, Nigeria, has also recently approved the R21 vaccine, following Ghana's lead.

The World Health Organization is also considering approving the vaccine.

Will these vaccines be the key to eradicating malaria?

As millions of doses are prepared for distribution, the question on many people's minds is whether these vaccines can finally eradicate malaria.

Experts like Prof. Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford, believe that R21 will make a significant impact on malaria mortality in children and contribute to the final goal of malaria eradication and elimination.

With the combined effect of RTS,S, R21 and other efforts against malaria, a future free of the deadly disease may be closer than we think.

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