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The malaria vaccine was developed in our country at the headquarters of the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in Wavre.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) gave the go-ahead on Wednesday to massively distribute the only effective malaria vaccine to African children. The vaccine RTS,S – or Mosquirix – has been proven to work for some time, but the WHO wanted to carry out additional tests. In 2019 she started a pilot project in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi in which about 800,000 children took part. They each received four doses of the vaccine.
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Although the vaccine has prevented malaria in only four in ten children, the WHO believes it could save tens of thousands of children’s lives in Sub-Saharan Africa each year. “Today’s recommendation offers a glimmer of hope for the continent that bears the brunt of the disease,” regional director Matshidiso Moeti said on Wednesday. ‘We expect that many more African children will be protected against malaria and grow up to be healthy adults.’
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Developed in Belgium
The news also has a Belgian side. The vaccine was developed by the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, which has its headquarters in our country. The vaccine is developed, produced, packaged and shipped in Belgium.
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“I am very proud to announce this excellent news,” said Jamila Laouhed, the Vice President and Head of Global Research and Development at GSK in Belgium. ‘Our groundbreaking malaria vaccine RTS,S was developed over decades by our scientists in Belgium, teams and partners and can be made available to children throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. This long-awaited milestone could revitalize the fight against malaria in the region at a time when progress has stalled.”
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GSK has pledged to donate 10 million doses of the vaccine to pilot projects and deliver up to 15 million doses annually through 2028.
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According to the WHO, 94 percent of malaria infections occur in Africa. The disease kills about half a million people every year, half of whom are children. Experts state that malaria on the African continent causes more victims than Covid-19.
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