WHO Approves Prequalification of Second Malaria Vaccine
© AP Photo / Joseph Odour
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Malaria is an infection transmitted by the bite of a mosquito. The WHO has previously reported that despite progress, the African region remains the most affected by this deadly disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved the prequalification of a second malaria vaccine called R21, in a statement released on Thursday.
"WHO has added the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine to its list of prequalified vaccines," the organization said. "The prequalification means larger access to vaccines as a key tool to prevent malaria in children with it being a prerequisite for vaccine procurement by UNICEF and funding support for deployment by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance."
The organization added that the R21 vaccine is the second malaria vaccine to be prequalified, following the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine, which received prequalification status in July 2022.
"Both vaccines are shown to be safe and effective in clinical trials, for preventing malaria in children. When implemented broadly, along with other recommended malaria control interventions, they are expected to have a high public health impact," the statement said.
In November, the WHO reported that malaria incidence increased by 16 million cases in 2022 compared with pre-pandemic COVID-19 data in 2019, with 426,000 deaths and 167 million cases in the 11 most affected countries alone.
