- The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended widespread use of the world’s first malaria vaccine for Africa the Mosquirix (RTSS) developed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline.
- The recommendation is based on the positive outcome of the pilot Programme set up in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi.
- More than 800,000 children in these countries were given doses of Mosquirix in a large-scale pilot programme coordinated by the WHO.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended widespread use of the world’s first malaria vaccine for Africa,the Mosquirix (RTS,S) developed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline. The recommendation is based on the positive outcome of the pilot Programme set up in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. More than 800,000 children in these countries were given doses of Mosquirix in a large-scale pilot programme coordinated by the WHO.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus remarked that the malaria vaccine for children is a breakthrough for science, child health and malaria control particularly for sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria has been the top killer of children in sub-Saharan Africa, claiming the lives of 260,000 children under age 5 every year. According to WHO director-general the vaccine was developed in Africa by African scientists. WHO targets malaria eradication in 25 countries by 2025.
