Malaria is a deadly disease that kills over half a million people yearly, mostly children under five in Africa. But there is new hope for malaria control, as the World Health Organization (WHO) has endorsed a second vaccine that is cheap, effective, and easy to deploy.
The vaccine, called R21/Matrix-M, was developed by Oxford University and the Serum Institute of India, with support from Novavax, a biotechnology company. It results from 30 years of research and trials in several African countries. It has been shown to reduce symptomatic malaria cases by 75 percent in areas with high seasonal transmission after three doses in a year.
The vaccine is expected to be available by mid-2024 at a cost of $2-4 per dose. The Serum Institute of India has already established production capacity for 100 million doses annually, which will be doubled over the next two years. The vaccine can be stored at normal refrigerator temperatures, making it easier to distribute and administer.
The WHO’s recommendation is based on preclinical and clinical trial data under peer review. The vaccine has also been licensed in Ghana, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso. The WHO said there is no evidence to suggest that the vaccine performs better than the first one, RTS,S, which was approved in 2021. However, the new vaccine has advantages over RTS,S, such as lower cost, higher efficacy, and longer protection.
The WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “As a malaria researcher, I used to dream of the day we would have a safe and effective vaccine against malaria. Now we have two.” He added that the vaccine would complement other malaria control measures, such as insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor spraying, and prompt diagnosis and treatment.
Public health experts welcomed the breakthrough but cautioned that more funding and support are needed to ensure that both vaccines reach the children who need them most. They also stressed that malaria prevention and control efforts should not be neglected amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted health services and increased malaria deaths in some countries.
Malaria is caused by parasites that are transmitted by infected mosquitoes. It can cause fever, chills, headache, and severe complications such as anemia, organ failure, and coma. According to the latest World Malaria Report, there were 247 million malaria cases worldwide in 2021 and 619,000 deaths. Nearly all of the cases and deaths occurred in Africa.
Developing a second malaria vaccine is a milestone in the fight against this ancient scourge. It offers a new hope for millions of people at risk of malaria daily. It also brings us closer to the goal of ending malaria for good.
Source: Washington Post
