New vaccine for malaria

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended a new vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, for the prevention of malaria in children. The recommendation follows advice from the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) and the Malaria Policy Advisory Group (MPAG) and was endorsed by the WHO Director-General following the regular biannual meeting held on 25-29 September.

WHO recommended for the first malaria vaccine RTS, S informed by results from the ongoing pilot program in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. A second WHO-recommended vaccine is expected “to protect more children faster, and to bring us closer to our vision of a malaria-free future,” the WHO chief said. The RTS,S vaccine will be available in some African countries in early 2024 and the R21 malaria vaccine is expected to become available to countries in mid-2024, according to the WHO.