A new vaccine against Malaria that was in the making for the long thirty years has now been introduced for the first time to the world. The vaccine has now been used first in children in Malawi, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The vaccine is known as RTS, S.
The health agency said that the new Malaria vaccine, which is a milestone, was seen to significantly reduce the deadly disease in children. After Malawi, the vaccine would be used in Ghana and Kenya, according to the UN release.
Director General of WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus said that RTS, S was a promising vaccine, which is seen to be a milestone in saving thousands of children the world over from one of the globe’s leading killers.
The World Health organisation said that the new Malaria vaccine has seen a high success rate in the clinical trials. In the trials, the WHO said that the vaccine has shown a success rate of four out of ten cases. Africa witness the most deaths due to Malaria and it is estimated that 2.5 lakh children every year due to this killer disease.
The Malaria vaccine programme is a collaboration between the United Nations and the governments of Malawi, Ghana and Kenya along with international organisations. The health Agency said that the success in the three countries would help in spreading the use of the vaccine across the world. It is estimated that about three lakh children would be given the vaccine per year. The success of the pilot project would determine the use of the vaccine against the killer disease.
