It was developed by the University of Oxford and has exceeded the threshold of 75% effectiveness. It should be able to be produced at low cost
A malaria vaccine developed by the University of Oxford has been greenlit for use in Ghana. The vaccine has been approved for use in children aged 5 to 36 months, the group at highest risk of death from malaria, underlined the British university in a note. It is hoped that this crucial first step will enable the vaccine to help Ghanaian and African children fight malaria effectively, he added. The new R-21/Matrix-M vaccine – developed by a group of researchers from the Jenner Institute of the University of Oxford who received the green light from the Ghanaian regulatory authorities – is the second malaria vaccine approved in the world and the first to have a exceeded the threshold of 75% effectiveness predicted by the World Health Organization (77% efficacy at 12-month follow-up).
Production
The vaccine should be able to be produced on a large scale and at modest cost, which should make it possible to make hundreds of millions of doses available in those African countries most affected by malaria. The preparation contains Matrix-M, an adjuvant produced by Novavax, a substance based on saponins which enhances the immune response, making it more lasting.
The illness
Globally, malaria deaths steadily decreased over the period 2000-2019, from 736,000 in 2000 to 409,000 in 2019. The proportion of total malaria deaths among children under the age of 5 was 84 % in 2000 and 67% in 2019. Furthermore, in the world, the malaria mortality rate (i.e. the number of deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in areas at risk) decreased from around 25 in 2000, to 12 in 2015 and 10 in 2019, with a significant slowdown in the rate of reduction in recent years. About 96% of malaria deaths globally occurred in 29 countries. Four countries are responsible for just over half of all malaria deaths in 2021: Nigeria (31%), Democratic Republic of Congo (13%), Niger (4%) and United Republic of Tanzania (4%).
April 14, 2023 (change April 14, 2023 | 10:24 am)
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