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The World Health Organization has finally declared that the first ever malaria vaccine is available for widespread use.
The BBC reports that doctors and researchers have tried and failed to create a vaccine against malaria, one of the most deadly diseases in human history, for more than a century. It is a remarkable achievement in medical research to finally have one that is safe and effective enough to be used.
Tedros Adhanom Gobreyesus, WHO chief, said that this news is historic for medicine at a press conference.
According to the BBC, the long-awaited vaccine against malaria for children is a breakthrough in science, child health and malaria control. It could save the lives of tens of thousands more young people each year.
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Malaria, a parasitic disease spread by mosquitoes and other pests that can destroy blood cells, is especially deadly for infants and children. According to the BBC, it claimed 260,000 lives in Africa in 2019. It takes years of infection before an individual's immune system can build up any protection.
It's an exciting time for us. With large-scale vaccination, I believe that the malaria toll will drop to the lowest possible level, Kwame Amponsa Achiano, the doctor who managed a small pilot vaccine program in Ghana, stated at the news conference.
According to the BBC, there are more than 100 types of malaria. The new vaccine targets the most deadly of these, which is also the most prevalent in Africa. Pilot trials in smaller countries, such as Ghana, showed that the vaccine could prevent 40 percent and 30 percent of severe malaria cases.
This is a major scientific breakthrough. From a public health perspective, it is an historic feat. Pedro Alonso, WHO Global Malaria Program director, said at the conference.
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