Malaria vaccine approved_ a  breakthrough for science : WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday the only approved malaria vaccine should be widely given to African children_ marking a major advance against a disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people annually.

The WHO recommendation is for RTS_S_ sold as  Mosquirix _ a vaccine developed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline.

Since 2019_ 2.3 million doses of Mosquirix have been administered to infants in Ghana_ Kenya and Malawi in a large-scale pilot programme coordinated by the WHO. The majority of those whom the disease kills are aged under five.

That programme followed a decade of clinical trials in seven African countries.

 This long-awaited malaria vaccine is a breakthrough for science. This is a vaccine developed in Africa by African scientists and we re very proud_ said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

 Using this vaccine in addition to existing tools to prevent malaria could save tens of thousands of young lives each year_ he added_ referring to anti-malaria measures such as bed nets and spraying.

Malaria is far more deadly than COVID-19 in Africa. It killed 386_000 Africans in 2019_ according to a WHO estimate_ compared with 212_000 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in the past 18 months.

The WHO says 94 percent of malaria cases and deaths occur in Africa_ a continent of 1.3 billion people. The preventable disease is caused by parasites transmitted to people by the bites of infected mosquitoes; symptoms include fever_ vomiting and fatigue.

The vaccine s effectiveness at preventing severe cases of malaria in children is only about 30 percent_ but it is the only approved vaccine. The European Union s drugs regulator approved it in 2015_ saying its benefits outweighed the risks.

 This is how we fight malaria_ layering imperfect tools on top of each other_ said Ashley Birkett_ who leads global malaria vaccine work at Path_ a non-profit global health organisation that funded the development of the vaccine with GSK and the three-country pilot.

Another vaccine against malaria_ developed by scientists at the UK s University of Oxford and called R21/Matrix-M_ showed up to 77 percent efficacy in a year-long study involving 450 children in Burkina Faso_ researchers said in April_ but it is still in the trial stages.

GSK also welcomed the WHO recommendation.

 This long-awaited landmark decision can reinvigorate the fight against malaria in the region at a time when progress on malaria control has stalled_ Thomas Breuer_ chief global health officer_ said in a statement.