Progress in developing a vaccine
This year we’ve seen incredible milestones being reached in the search for a malaria vaccine. Researchers from the University of Oxford and partners reported that their malaria vaccine had demonstrated a high level of efficacy in trials – 77% over 12 months! Meanwhile, RTS,S - the world’s first malaria vaccine, shown to provide partial protection against malaria in young children – has now reached more than 650,000 children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi in the first 2 years of its ground-breaking pilot programme.
An effective malaria vaccine that can be manufactured at low cost and at scale would be a game-changing addition to our toolkit in the fight against malaria.
Tackling malaria is a ‘win-win’
Ahead of the G7 summit, we held a virtual event with our global malaria partners to discuss how continued financial and political investment in malaria can save lives and strengthen global health security.
The event featured representatives from governments in the UK, Italy, France, Rwanda and Australia, alongside community health workers from the malaria front line. Panellists praised the vital work undertaken every day by community health workers, who have made great sacrifices over the last year to tackle the burden of COVID-19 in addition to existing threats like malaria.
The event focussed on re-energising progress in the malaria fight, emphasising the need for continued investment in science and innovation, community health systems, and organisations like the Global Fund.
