A new study has confirmed that the RTS,S malaria vaccine significantly reduced child deaths in the first three African countries to deploy it.
According to a press release by the World Health Organisation on Friday, an estimated one in eight child deaths were averted among eligible recipients in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi over four years, per findings published on Friday in The Lancet.
The evaluation, which assessed data from the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme covering 2019 to 2023, found that positive impact is likely to be as high or higher in other African countries now offering malaria vaccines to young children in areas of high malaria burden.
The World Health Organisation’s Director of Immunisation, Vaccines and Biologicals, Kate O’Brien, said the findings represented solid evidence of the vaccine’s potential to change the trajectory of child mortality on the continent.
“This is very solid evidence of the potential for malaria vaccines to change the trajectory of child mortality in Africa, and why it is urgent to overcome funding challenges to accelerate rollout.
“Demand is high and supply is sufficient, but more financing is needed so that countries can purchase enough vaccine, along with other malaria prevention tools, to reach all the kids most at risk of serious disease or death,” O’Brien said.
Despite global progress, malaria remains a leading killer of African children. In 2024 alone, an estimated 438,000 African children died from the disease.
The WHO’s Director of Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases, Daniel Ngamije Madandi, said vaccination strengthened malaria response when combined with other proven interventions.
“Malaria vaccination strengthens the response and increases access to malaria prevention in countries that use a mix of proven interventions to optimise impact substantially in moderate and high transmission areas,” Madandi said.
The study authors also noted that the four-dose vaccine schedule created additional opportunities to deliver other childhood vaccines, such as measles and meningitis shots, alongside health interventions including vitamin A supplementation and insecticide-treated nets.
The evaluation further confirmed that the malaria vaccine’s introduction had no negative consequences on the uptake of other childhood vaccines or the use of other malaria prevention measures.
Currently, 25 endemic countries in Africa offer malaria vaccines as part of their childhood immunisation programmes, with more than 10 million children targeted annually.
However, funding constraints are preventing many countries from scaling up vaccination to national targets, despite sufficient supply of WHO-recommended vaccines, RTS,S and R21, to meet existing demand.
The evaluation was conducted by scientists from WHO, Africa-based research institutions and other global health bodies, including the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
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