WHO approves world’s first malaria vaccine

LAGOS, Nigeria – The World Health Organisation, (WHO) has approved  what is now regarded as the world’s first malaria vaccine. Malaria remains one of the highest killer, killing more than 400,000 people each year worldwide. 

Already, the  vaccine, RTS,S has been administered on more than 800,000 children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, following a pilot programme approved by WHO since 2019.#malariavaccine

“The long-awaited malaria vaccine for children is a breakthrough for science, child health and malaria control. Using this vaccine on top of existing tools to prevent malaria could save tens of thousands of young lives each year”,  said the WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Ghebreyesus said the world had made “incredible progress” in the fight against malaria in the past two decades.  Malaria parasite is mostly transmitted through the bites of female anopheles mosquitoes, Common symptoms include high temperature, nausea and vomiting, and if left untreated, it can be fatal.

He said progress in combating the ailment has been slow with more than 200 million cases still occurring each year.  According to him, two-thirds of those who die from the disease, are children under five in Africa.