In a landmark announcement, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the use of the first-ever malaria vaccine for children. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus endorsed the RTS,S/AS01 malaria or Mosquirix - a vaccine developed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
According to Tedros, " RTS,S malaria vaccine – more than 30 years in the making – changes the course of public health history. This vaccine is a gift to the world".
The WHO said in a statement it was recommending the widespread application of the vaccine among children in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions with moderate to high malaria transmission.
Many vaccines exist against viruses and bacteria but this was the first time that the WHO recommended broad use of a vaccine against a human parasite.
The vaccine acts against plasmodium falciparum -- one of five parasite species and the most deadly. The symptoms of malaria are--fever, headaches, and muscle pain, then cycles of chills, fever, and sweating.
Malaria claims the lives of more than 400,000 people every year. Children account for 67% of all malarial deaths worldwide, pursuant to the WHO.