More children should be vaccinated against malaria: WHO
DTMT Network
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged the member states to vaccinate more children who are living in the malaria-prone areas.
In an updated position paper on the RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) malaria vaccine that includes the October 2021 recommendation, the WHO complemented the recent addition of the recommendation to the WHO Guidelines for malaria.
“The first malaria vaccine is a major step forward for malaria control, child health and health equity. If implemented broadly, the vaccine could save tens of thousands of lives each year,” Dr Kate O’Brien, director of the Department of Immunisation, Vaccines and Biologicals said.
“This guidance is essential to countries as they consider whether and how to adopt the vaccine as an additional tool to reduce child illness and deaths from malaria,” she added.
In an official statement released by the organisation, the WHO said that it recommends the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine be used for the prevention of P. falciparum malaria in children living in regions with moderate to high transmission.
The malaria vaccine recommendation was recently added to WHO’s consolidated malaria guidelines on the MAGICapp platform, the statement added.
The WHO said that the countries are encouraged to adapt its recommendation to local settings.
“In recent years, WHO has been advising countries to move away from a ‘one-size fits all’ approach to malaria control, applying instead a mix of tools informed by local data and disease patterns,” Dr Pedro Alonso, Director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme said.
“The malaria vaccine is a breakthrough addition to the malaria toolkit,” he added.
The paper summarised essential background information on the global malaria context and disease patterns and presented available RTS,S evidence; addressed the role of RTS,S among other preventive measures; and outlined recommendations for broader deployment of the vaccine.
In addition, the paper identified research priorities for the vaccine and considerations for immunization and health systems, the statement by the WHO said.
