WHO approves second vaccine for children against malaria

The World Health Organization (WHO) gave the green light on Monday for the use of a second vaccine for children against malaria, a disease that claims hundreds of thousands of lives each year.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the WHO, announced during a press conference, "As a former malaria researcher, I dreamed of the day when we would have a safe and effective malaria vaccine. Now we have two."

He added, "I am delighted to announce that the World Health Organization recommends a second vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, for malaria prevention in children at risk of the disease."

The vaccine against malaria is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. It has been authorized for use in Ghana, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso.

In 2021, another vaccine, RTS,S, produced by the British pharmaceutical giant GSK, became the first malaria vaccine recommended by the WHO for children in areas with moderate to high malaria transmission.

Trials of the RTS,S vaccine in three African countries, Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi, have allowed more than 1.7 million children to receive at least one dose of the vaccine since 2019.

Vaccination campaigns in these three countries have led to a significant reduction in severe and fatal malaria cases and a decrease in child mortality rates. When used on a large scale, this vaccine could save tens of thousands of lives each year, according to the WHO.

Malaria, caused by a parasite transmitted through mosquito bites, remains a serious threat, especially to African children, due to increasing resistance to treatment.

In 2021, malaria, an ancient disease dating back to ancient times, caused the death of 619,000 people worldwide, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization.

Approximately half of the world's population lives in areas at risk of malaria, with the majority of infections and deaths occurring in Africa.


AFP