Malawi to Roll Out Malaria Vaccine for Children Under Five

The Malawi health ministry says it will soon roll out Africa's first malaria vaccine for children under the age of five.

The RTS,S vaccine, which was tested in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, took more than 30 years to develop. While the vaccine has a relatively low level of effectiveness, it has raised hopes of saving thousands of people who die annually from the mosquito-borne disease - most of them African children.

The vaccine roll out scheduled for November 2022, follows the completion of the pilot phase. Since 2019, the World Health Organization has vaccinated 360,000 children per year in Malawi, Ghana and Kenya - with one-third of them in Malawi.

WHO endorsed the vaccine years ago, saying it was a breakthrough in the fight against malaria.

The vaccine, sold by GlaxoSmithKline as Mosquirix, is about 30% effective and requires four doses.

Despite its relatively low effectiveness rate, some scientists say the vaccine will have a major impact against malaria in Africa, which records 200 million cases and 400,000 deaths per year, reports Lameck Masina for Voice of America.

InFocus

Mothers queue to have their children vaccinated against malaria at Likuni Community Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi.

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