Taking a Jab at Malaria

With an estimated 249 million cases reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2022 (1), malaria still represents a major public health threat in endemic areas. And if that headline figure wasn’t bad enough, children under five years old make up 76 percent of total malaria deaths.

After over 30 years in development, the RTS,S vaccine came into the public domain (2). Patients require four doses in total, which, alongside mosquito nets and malaria tablets, provides children with 90 percent protection from malaria.

In 2019, Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi began administering the vaccine in selected areas to children five months old and above – reaching over 2 million children and reducing mortality rates by 13 percent (3). Now, Cameroon hosts the world’s first routine vaccine program against malaria, offering the RTS,S vaccine free of charge to all children up to six months of age. 

“I have prayed and waited all my life for this vaccine,” said Wilfred Fon Mbacham, a Cameroonian king and professor of public health biotechnology (4).

Cabo Verde, a small island nation off the coast of West Africa, has recently been declared malaria free thanks to national efforts in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Researchers hope that other endemic areas can follow in Cabo Verde’s footsteps as the RTS,S vaccine is officially rolled out across many African nations this year. But with only 18 million doses available before 2025, supply falls well short of demand. 

RTS,S may not be alone for long; the University of Oxford in the UK continues to work on a second malaria vaccine – R21 – now pre-approved by WHO, which could significantly increase the number of doses available to meet needs.