<\/p>\n
The findings, published in The Lancet, are based on a large-scale evaluation of the RTS, S malaria vaccine introduced in Ghana, Kenya plus Malawi between 2019 plus 2023. WHO said the results confirm life-saving impact in real-world conditions rather than only in clinical trials.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The evaluation found that across the four-year period, about 1 in 8 deaths among eligible young children were prevented in areas where inoculations were given. WHO described the evidence as strong support for scaling up malaria vaccine delivery across the continent.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
WHO Director for Immunisation, Vaccines plus Biologicals, Dr Kate O\u2019Brien, said the findings provide \u201cvery solid evidence\u201d that malaria vaccines can shift the trajectory of child mortality in Africa. O\u2019Brien called for urgent investment to expand access to vaccines in countries with high malaria burden.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Malaria remains a leading cause of death among children under five in Africa. WHO said an estimated 438 000 African children died from malaria in 2024. WHO said wider deployment of recommended malaria vaccines, including RTS, S plus the newer R21 vaccine, could save tens of thousands of young lives each year if delivered at scale.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
WHO Director for malaria plus neglected tropical diseases, Dr Daniel Ngamije Madandi, said malaria vaccination strengthens prevention by widening access to protection. Ngamije Madandi stressed that vaccine rollout works best when combined with other measures such as insecticide-treated bed nets, testing plus timely treatment.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
WHO also said the four-dose malaria vaccine schedule creates opportunities to strengthen routine immunisation systems, since repeated clinic visits can support delivery of other child health services, including vitamin A supplementation plus mosquito net distribution.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Despite strong demand plus sufficient vaccine supply, the WHO warned that financing remains a major barrier. WHO said sustained investment is required to purchase doses plus deliver vaccination alongside other essential malaria prevention tools.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
With more African countries beginning malaria vaccine rollout, the WHO urged international partners to step up support so that momentum continues plus benefits reach vulnerable communities.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–UN\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":34082,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-34081","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"New evidence indicates malaria vaccination is significantly reducing child deaths in Africa, with potential for a larger impact as programmes expand, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday.","published_date":"","news_description":"New evidence indicates malaria vaccination is significantly reducing child deaths in Africa, with potential for a larger impact as programmes expand, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/34081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/34081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34083,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/34081\/revisions\/34083"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=34081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}