Malaria is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with an estimated 429,000 deaths related to the disease in 2017 alone. Despite this, until recently there wasn’t an effective vaccine to prevent it. Now, the World Health Organization (WHO) has given its backing to the world’s first malaria vaccine, which they say could help drastically reduce the number of cases in high-risk locations.

History
Malaria is caused by parasites that are transmitted through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. Today, the disease is found in large parts of Africa, South America, Central America, India, and the Caribbean. The effects of malaria are widespread and far-reaching; it leads to increased poverty, a higher infant mortality rate, and a loss of productivity in affected countries.

For centuries, experts have been trying to find a way to prevent the disease, with partnerships formed in the 1950s with organisations such as the World Health Organization. Through the 1960s, a variety of different trials and efforts were undertaken, however, none of them produced any sort of reliable results.

Early Roadblocks
In the early years of development, scientists faced several challenges, including trying to modify the parasites so that they could be used safely within a vaccine. It wasn’t until the late 1980s that a breakthrough was made, when a special strain of the parasites was successfully modified for use in a vaccine.

Introducing RTS,S
The vaccine, referred to as RTS,S, was first tested in 1992. It was a collaborative effort between the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health), and the WHO’s Initiative for Vaccine Research. The trials of the vaccine saw positive results, with a 54% efficacy rate in children aged 5-17 months, and a 31% efficiency rate in children aged 6-12 months.

Benefits of RTS,S
The availability of a successful vaccine means that children in malaria-risk countries could receive protection against the disease as early as 6 months old, before they are old enough to be infected by the parasites. Currently, the vaccine is expected to reduce the cases of severe malaria in children by around 40%.

Worldwide Rollout
The success of the vaccine, combined with favorable results from a series of large-scale clinical trials, has led to the WHO’s backing of RTS,S. The organisation has stated that the vaccine will be made available in countries like Ghana, Kenya and Malawi from late 2018 as part of a pilot program. The long-term goal is for the vaccine to be available in all countries where malaria is prevalent, which will go a long way towards protecting children and reducing the effects of the disease.

The granting of WHO backing to the world’s first malaria vaccine is a major step in the fight against the disease. With the potential to drastically reduce the number of cases in affected countries, the introduction of the RTS,S vaccine is an important move and will contribute greatly to improving global health.