Malawi to begin test run of new malaria vaccine for children
- 5 years ago
LILONGWE, MALAWI — Malawi will begin a large-scale pilot of vaccinating children with the RTS,S vaccine to partially protect them from malaria, CNN reports.
RTS,S is the first and only vaccine in the world that has been found to significantly reduce malaria in children, according to the World Health Organization.
This new vaccine would teach the immune system to attack malaria parasites. These parasites are typically spread by mosquito bites.
The vaccine would only be administered to children under the age of 2. According to the WHO, children under the age of five are the most vulnerable to malaria.
The African nations of Ghana and Kenya will also start administering the vaccine in their countries in the next few weeks.
An estimated 435,000 deaths worldwide were caused by malaria. Children accounted for 61 percent or 266,000 of malaria deaths worldwide in 2017, according to a report by the World Health Organization.
RTS,S is the first and only vaccine in the world that has been found to significantly reduce malaria in children, according to the World Health Organization.
This new vaccine would teach the immune system to attack malaria parasites. These parasites are typically spread by mosquito bites.
The vaccine would only be administered to children under the age of 2. According to the WHO, children under the age of five are the most vulnerable to malaria.
The African nations of Ghana and Kenya will also start administering the vaccine in their countries in the next few weeks.
An estimated 435,000 deaths worldwide were caused by malaria. Children accounted for 61 percent or 266,000 of malaria deaths worldwide in 2017, according to a report by the World Health Organization.