Around 500,000 children die from malaria every year. The WHO has now recommended a second vaccine against the tropical disease for children. It only costs around four dollars and studies show it is very effective.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the use of the malaria vaccine “R21/Matrix-M” in children. Since 2021, it is the second preparation to receive such a recommendation for children in affected areas.
The active ingredient has the potential to close the large gap between supply and demand, said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa. Hundreds of thousands of lives could be saved.
More than half a million dead
Almost half a million children die from the mosquito-borne disease in African countries every year. In total, there were around 247 million cases of illness and 619,000 deaths in 2021 – 95 percent of them in Africa. At least 28 countries plan to introduce “R21/Matrix-M” through national vaccination plans. Ghana was the first country to approve the vaccine developed at Oxford University in the spring.
Studies show a high level of effectiveness: after administering three doses, cases of the disease were reduced by 75 percent. A fourth dose twelve months later maintains vaccination protection. According to the British broadcaster BBC, the manufacturer Serum Institute of India is ready to produce more than 100 million doses per year. A dose costs between two and four US dollars.
2023-10-02 18:50:04
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