On October 6,  the World Health Organization recommended the vaccine Mosquirix for widespread use against the deadliest malaria-causing parasite. The vaccine is anticipated to save the lives of over 100,000 young children living in sub-Saharan Africa.

On October 6, the WHO Director-General announced the UN agency’s approval of humanity’s first vaccine against malaria for broad rollout. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus termed the announcement a ‘historic moment’ and a ‘glimmer of hope’ for sub-Saharan infants and children, who are the most vulnerable demographic to die from the parasitic disease.

Disease Background

Malaria is a life-threatening infectious disease caused by the Plasmodium” family of protozoan parasites. The disease is transmitted via mosquito bites rather than human contact.  Mosquitoes’ saliva can pick up the parasite from an infected person, then give the parasite to the enxt healhty person they bite. Upon contraction, the parasite circulates throughout the human bloodstream and destroys  their red blood cells. Within two to four weeks of contraction, malaria symptoms such as fever, aches, chills, nausea and vomiting occur. Severe cases of malaria can cause anemia and jaundice, and if left untreated, it can cause seizures, kidney failure, coma or death. 

Disease Burden

Though there are nearly 230 million cases of malaria worldwide, Africa pays the greatest price. The continent sees 94% of malaria cases globally, where six countries account for approximately half of all reported malaria deaths: Nigeria (23%), Democratic Republic of Congo (11%), United Republic of Tanzania (5%), Burkina Faso (4%), Mozambique (4%) and Niger (4%). While malaria occurs in other regions such as South America, the disease predominantly wreaks havoc upon the planet’s poorest continent.

Children under the age of five are twice as likely as older patients to die upon contraction. For example, of the 409,000 global deaths caused by malaria in 2019, children five years or younger accounted for 67% of them. 

Africa’s disproportionate prevalence of malaria is the result of a confluence of factors. First, the continent’s tropical and subtropical climates are perfect conditions for marsh mosquitos year-round.  Second, relative socio-political instability and lagging economic development have made it difficult to implement large-scale preventive public health practices like mosquito nets and insecticide sprays that are needed to curtail transmission. 

Vaccine Information

After a decade of clinical trials operating within seven African countries, the World Health Organization coordinated a pilot program to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Mosquirix vaccine (GlaxoSmithKline’s RTS,S). The trials served 15,000 infants and young children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. The trial found that Mosquirix is feasible and cost-effective to deliver to the public, even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Equitable access to malaria prevention is now a reality thanks to the Mosquirix vaccine’s approval. 

However, there are some logistical obstacles that countries will need to navigate because Mosquirix is imperfect. The vaccine was shown to prevent about four in ten malaria cases. The dosage structure is also time-intensive. One must receive three doses in three months, followed by a final injection a year later. This vaccination timeline will likely be the biggest obstacle. Peter Agre, the head of Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, acknowledges “from an objective level most are disappointed that [Mosquirix] wasn’t more effective”. 

Nevertheless, public health experts are excited about Mosquirix’s potential. Of more than 2.3 million total doses injected throughout the pilot, the vaccine reduced severe malaria by 30%. In addition it reached two-thirds of children lacking a bed-net to sleep under. As the Director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme, Dr. Pedro Alonso states, “We’ve been looking for a malaria vaccine for over 100 years now. This will save lives and prevent disease.”

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Rohan is an engineering graduate from Brown University. He is passionate about both writing and travel, and strives to blend critical thinking with creative communication to better understand the places, problems, and people living throughout the world. Ultimately, he hopes to apply his love for learning and story-sharing skills to resolve challenges affecting justice, equity, and humanity.