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Second malaria vaccine approved to fight mosquitoes' might

Content Editor: Dr K Himabindu Reddy

October 18, 2023 at 1:15:00 PM

Global health, Child health, Malaria, Vaccination, WHO

Content Editor: Dr K Himabindu Reddy

  • Malaria claims the lives of nearly half a million children and pregnant women every year worldwide, owing to this heavy burden of disease.

  • WHO approved the first malaria vaccine, RTS/AS01, in 2021, but there was a vast demand and supply gap.

  • World Health Organization recently approved the second vaccine, namely- R21/Matrix-M

  • Salient features of R21 include:

  1. Better efficacy (75%) when given prior to the transmission season than when given in an age-based schedule (66%)

  2. Cost-effective when compared to the previous vaccine

  • With the WHO approval of R21/MATRIX-M, the organization hopes to have sufficient vaccine stock to benefit children in all regions where malaria is a public health concern.

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