Global health body also recommends vaccines for dengue and meningitis
Malaria is deadly for children in Africa, according to WHO. Photo: @WHO / X, formerly Twitter The World Health Organization (WHO) on October 2, 2023, approved a second anti-malaria vaccine for children. The vaccine has been developed by the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, a statement on its website said.
The WHO recommendation for the R21/Matrix-M vaccine comes two years after the global health body recommended the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine for the mosquito-borne disease.
“Both vaccines are shown to be safe and effective in preventing malaria in children and, when implemented broadly, are expected to have high public health impact,” the WHO statement said.
Malaria is especially deadly for children in Africa. Nearly half a million children die each year on the continent due to the disease, according to WHO.
“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,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general.
The recommendation for R21 will also help in overcoming the demand-and-supply gap as RTS,S is in short supply.
R21 is now being reviewed by WHO for prequalification. The stamp of approval from WHO means that GAVI (a global vaccine alliance) and Children’s Fund UNICEF can buy the vaccine from manufacturers, according to Ghebreyesus.
The WHO D-G added that the vaccine will be rolled out in some African countries, including Burkina Faso, Ghana and Nigeria in early 2024. It will be available in mid-2024 in other countries and doses would cost between $2 and $4.
WHO has given its approval to the vaccine on the advice of two expert groups: Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) and the Malaria Policy Advisory Group.
The health body also recommended Takeda Pharmaceuticals’ vaccine against dengue for children aged six to 16 living in areas where the infection is a significant public health problem. Dengue, like malaria, is spread by mosquitoes.
At the same time, SAGE also recommended that all countries in the African “meningitis belt” introduce what it described as (Men5CV) into their routine immunisation programmes. It said a single dose scheduled at nine to 18 months of age should fight the disease.
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