The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday authorized the second malaria vaccine. This decision can provide countries with a cheaper and more effective option than the first malaria vaccine. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the UN health agency is approving the new malaria vaccine on the advice of two expert groups. Expert groups have recommended its use in children at risk of malaria. Tedros said, as a malaria researcher, I dreamed of the day when we would have a safe and effective vaccine against malaria. Now we have two vaccines.
Oxford University has developed a new three-dose vaccine with the help of Serum Institute of India. Research has shown that it is more than 75 percent effective and protection lasts for at least another year with a booster dose. Tedros said that its single dose would cost around $2 to $4 and it could be available in some countries next year. Earlier this year, regulatory authorities in Ghana and Burkina Faso approved the vaccine.
John Johnson, working with ‘Doctors Without Borders’, said, this will be another weapon at our disposal but it will not eliminate the need for mosquito nets and mosquito sprays. This vaccine is not going to prevent malaria. WHO had termed the first malaria vaccine in 2021 as a historic effort towards eradicating this dangerous disease. The vaccine, called ‘Mosquirix’, manufactured by GSK, is only about 30 percent effective and requires four doses, and its protection wanes within a few months.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation last year withdrew funding for Mosquirix, saying it was low-impact and the money would be better spent elsewhere. GSK has said that it can produce about 1.5 crore doses of its vaccine in a year, while the Serum Institute of India has said that it can produce up to 20 crore doses of the Oxford vaccine in a year.