Malaria
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Malaria Vaccine
A Malaria vaccine is a vaccine that prevents malaria, a mosquito-borne infectious disease which affected an estimated 249 million people globally in 85 malaria-endemic countries and areas and caused 608,000 deaths in 2022. The first approved vaccine for malaria is RTS,S, known by the brand name Mosquirix. As of April 2023, the vaccine has been given to 1.5 million children living in areas with moderate-to-high malaria transmission. It requires at least three doses in infants by age 2, and a fourth dose extends the protection for another 1–2 years. The vaccine reduces hospital admissions from severe malaria by around 30%
GLOBAL TECHNICAL STRATEGY FOR MALARIA
The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression
of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Health Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted and dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement.
MALARIA AND MOBILITY
Profound disparities, skill shortages, climate change, natural and man-made disasters and economic and political crisis have
driven up the number of both internal and cross-border migrants. Over one billion people are now on the move, of which 244 million are international migrants and 740 million internal migrants.1
Migration is a social determinant of health, it is
often associated with poverty and social exclusion, which impede migrants’ willingness and ability to access health services.
The Story Of... Malaria – and other Deadly Tropical Germs
The viruses found in the cooler parts of the planet have evolved to benefit from seasonal variations in temperature. Influenza is one such virus, which thrives during the winter, when humans are forced together into confined spaces. Tropical diseases are luckier: they thrive year-'round in the heat and humidity of their region. These diseases exist at a fairly constant level, and are therefore known as endemic.
A Renewed Controversy
The centenary of Rachel Carson's birth has been the cause of much celebration (see our profile) and of some renewed criticism. Criticism aside, few can debate the impact that SILENT SPRING has had on our natural world, and in inspiring citizens around the globe to work to protect it.
Doctor Darwin: Diseases That Cheat Natural Selection
It's a basic tenet of biology that natural selection picks the most advantageous traits and passes them on to the next generation. Why, then, do people still suffer from debilitating genetic diseases? Shouldn't the genes that code for these diseases be removed from the population over time? How did they manage to keep themselves around during the course of human evolution? It turns out that there may be a reason that genes for harmful diseases survive evolutionary selection and pass from generation to generation.
Presumptive Treatment to Reduce Imported Malaria among Refugees from East Africa Resettling in the United States
During May 4, 2007–February 29, 2008, the United States resettled 6,159 refugees from Tanzania. Refugees received pre-departure antimalarial treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), partially supervised (three/six doses) artemether-lumefantrine (AL), or fully supervised AL. Thirty-nine malaria cases were detected. Disease incidence was 15.5/1,000 in the SP group and 3.2/1,000 in the partially supervised AL group (relative change = –79%, 95% confidence interval = –56% to –90%).
Drug Long Used by Vets Could Boost Fight Against Malaria
Ivermectin, developed decades ago as a veterinary drug, has already been proved effective in humans against river blindness, a disease caused by worms that invade the eyes. It has also used in campaigns in sub-Saharan Africa against elephantiasis, which is caused by parasitic worms and causes severe swelling of the limbs.
A Global Report on Population Mobility and Malaria
Today’s globalised world is witnessing unprecedented
human mobilityi and migrationii trends.
Doctor Darwin: Diseases That Cheat Natural Selection
It's a basic tenet of biology that natural selection picks the most advantageous traits and passes them on to the next generation. Why, then, do people still suffer from debilitating genetic diseases? Shouldn't the genes that code for these diseases be removed from the population over time? How did they manage to keep themselves around during the course of human evolution? It turns out that there may be a reason that genes for harmful diseases survive evolutionary selection and pass from generation to generation.
Deadly Diseases
"Malaria" is a misnomer. Drawn from the Italian mala aria, or "bad air," the name reflects the historical belief that the disease is caused by miasmas, or noxious exhalations from rotting matter or stagnant water. In 1889, a tiny parasite was revealed as the disease-causing agent, and eight years later, the mosquito was identified as the parasite-carrying agent.
Progress Towards a Malaria-Free Tanzania
For Westerners, the emphasis on the Atlantic slave trade often obscures the long and sad history of the Indian Ocean slave trade. Bagamoyo is Tanzania’s oldest city, and was the major shipment point for slaves from the East African interior to the trade networks of the Arabian Peninsula, the Persian Gulf, and west Asia.
Fighting malaria in the remote reaches of Cambodia
by Fred de Sam 11/1/19 PBS NEWS
Every year, nearly half-a-million people die from malaria across the globe. Though there are drugs available to kill the parasite that causes malaria, there is new worry that those medications are losing their effectiveness.
Human Genetics: Concepts and Application
Because of natural selection, different alleles are more likely to confer a survival advantage in different environments. Cycles of infectious disease prevalence and virulence often reflect natural selection.
Two anti-malaria drugs have fewer side effects
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Two drugs used to prevent malaria in travelers appear to have a lower risk of side effects than a third commonly prescribed medication, according to a research review published Tuesday.
A new study shows malaria’s often neglected toll on a vulnerable population: Pregnant women
Tens of thousands of women die and hundreds of thousands of babies are stillborn due to malaria. We can do better.
Fake malaria drugs could 'put millions at risk'
The researchers, from the Wellcome Trust-Mahosot Hospital-Oxford University Tropical Medicine Research Collaboration, published their work in the Malaria Journal.
Ministry of Defence faces legal claims over malaria drug
Law firm Irwin Mitchell says it has formally notified the MoD of several claims after being contacted by about 30 serving and former members of the armed forces about its use of Lariam.
More people died of malaria in 2020 than in 2019. Here's why
by Joanne Silberner 6/12/21 npr
That's one of the encouraging takeaways from the new annual report on malaria issued on Monday by the World Health Organization. But the sobering news is that despite progress in some countries, this debilitating and lethal disease took a greater toll in 2020 than in the recent past.
5 of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases
by Lucy Foster 9/4/20 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
COVID-19, caused by a newly discovered coronavirus, can lead to respiratory illness. It has, in a few short months, infected more than 1.5 million people. More than 89,000 have died. And while there are actions we can take to help slow its spread, there's currently no vaccine or treatment available.
You Don't Want To Monkey Around With Monkey Malaria
by Jason Beaubien 11/12/14 npr
In Southeast Asia, the battle against malaria is growing even more complicated. And it's all because of monkeys, who carry a form of malaria that until a few years ago wasn't a problem for people.
How the US foreign aid freeze is intensifying humanitarian crises across the globe
by Lauren Kent 4/2/25 CNN World
These aren’t warnings of what’s to come, but examples of what aid workers say is the fallout of the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign aid and the gutting of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Answers sought over Army's use of malaria drug mefloquine
by Sima Kotecha 9/9/15 BBC NEWS
A group of MPs says it wants to know how many servicemen and women have complained about side-effects after taking mefloquine - or Lariam as it is more commonly known.
Alana Cutland: Parents' shock over malaria drug behind plane fall
The Cambridge University student was at the end of her second year studying biological natural sciences when she visited the African island for a research internship.
Wristwatch to detect malaria
Malaria, caused by a parasite carried by mosquitoes, kills more than one million people every year and makes 300 million seriously ill, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Using DDT to Battle Malaria
The United States banned DDT in 1972 and environmental groups are trying to outlaw the pesticide worldwide. But in developing countries, it continues to be a cost-effective way to combat malaria, a disease that kills more than 1 million people a year in Africa.
Malaria Wins Round 2; Malaria Wins Round 2
by C.p. Gilmore The New York Times
"W 'E thought we had malaria under control in World War II," says Col. William D. Tigertt, director of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. "But now, 20 years later, we still face the same problems." The problems Colonel Tigertt refers to exploded violently in Vietnam last fall. United States troops by the hundreds suddenly began coming down with a virulent strain of malaria against which even the most potent wonder drugs were strangely powerless.
Malaria: Huge progress on global killer
Malaria is caused by a parasite called plasmodium which initially hides in the liver before going into the bloodstream and infecting the red blood cells which carry oxygen around the body.
Iron deficiency, even mild anemia, may protect against malaria, TB and cancer
by Marta Zaraska 24/11/14 The Washington Post
Does such a statement sound weird to you? That’s to be expected: For years we’ve been told that anemia and iron deficiency are nothing short of evil. They should be treated as soon as possible, with any means possible: hence the 108-milligram iron pills sold in many pharmacies.
Malaria vaccine hailed as potential breakthrough
A malaria vaccine has proved to be 77% effective in early trials and could be a major breakthrough against the disease, says the University of Oxford team behind it.
How can we eliminate malaria in Asia Pacific?
by Ivo Mueller WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
A large number of children with malaria in the Asia-Pacific have relapses of the disease, not new infections. These recurrent infections significantly contribute to malaria’s continuing transmission in the region.
How An Altered Strand Of DNA Can Cause Malaria-Spreading Mosquitoes To Self-Destruct
In the landmark study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications, researchers placed the genetically modified mosquitoes in a special laboratory that simulated the conditions in sub-Saharan Africa, where they spread the deadly disease.
Bangladesh has been effective at fighting malaria. Can it eliminate the disease?
Malaria has plagued humanity for millennia. According to the World Health Organization, it kills more than 600,000 people a year, mostly in Africa. And that's despite enormous efforts to develop treatments and control the mosquitoes that carry the disease. There are some bright spots, though. Reporter Ari Daniel takes us to Bangladesh, a country that's slashed its malaria numbers drastically, though the parasite isn't going down without a fight.
An epitope-based malaria vaccine targeting the junctional region of circumsporozoite protein
by Lucie Jelínková 21/1/21 npj
A malaria vaccine that elicits long-lasting protection and is suitable for use in endemic areas remains urgently needed. Here, we assessed the immunogenicity and prophylactic efficacy of a vaccine targeting a recently described epitope on the major surface antigen on Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites, circumsporozoite protein (CSP). Using a virus-like particle (VLP)-based vaccine platform technology, we developed a vaccine that targets the junctional region between the N-terminal and central repeat regions of CSP.
Malaria vaccines since 2000: progress, priorities, products
by Patrick E. Duffy 9/6/20 npj
Malaria vaccine development entered a new era in 2015 when the pre-erythrocytic Plasmodium falciparum candidate RTS,S was favorably reviewed by the European Medicines Agency and subsequently introduced into national pilot implementation programs, marking the first human anti-parasite vaccine to pass regulatory scrutiny.
Malaria vaccine research & innovation: the intersection of IA2030 and zero malaria
by David C. Kaslow 20/11/20 npj
This collection of malaria vaccine research and innovation papers highlights the intersection of efforts to: (1) achieve the pan-African1 and global goal2 of “Zero Malaria”; and (2) make the compelling case for immunization3 as a set of new tools for malaria control and elimination.
A malaria vaccine protects Aotus monkeys against virulent Plasmodium falciparum infection
by Prakash Srinivasan 22/5/17 npj
The Plasmodium falciparum protein, apical membrane antigen 1 forms a complex with another parasite protein, rhoptry neck protein 2, to initiate junction formation with the erythrocyte and is essential for merozoite invasion during the blood stage of infection. Consequently, apical membrane antigen 1 has been a target of vaccine development but vaccination with apical membrane antigen 1 alone in controlled human malaria infections failed to protect and showed limited efficacy in field trials.
Malaria vaccine gives disappointing results
by Declan Butler 9/11/12 nature
Interim poor results of RTS,S vaccine trial in African children raise question marks over deployment.
Safety and efficacy of malaria vaccine candidate R21/Matrix-M in African children: a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, phase 3 trial
by Mehreen S Datoo DPhil 16/2/24 ScienceDirect
Recently, we found that a new malaria vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, had over 75% efficacy against clinical malaria with seasonal administration in a phase 2b trial in Burkina Faso. Here, we report on safety and efficacy of the vaccine in a phase 3 trial enrolling over 4800 children across four countries followed for up to 18 months at seasonal sites and 12 months at standard sites.
A malaria vaccine for travelers and military personnel: Requirements and top candidates
by Nimfa Teneza-Mora ScienceDirect
Malaria remains an important health threat to non-immune travelers with the explosive growth of global travel. Populations at high risk of acquiring malaria infections include once semi-immune travelers who visit friends and relatives, military forces, business travelers and international tourists with destinations to sub-Saharan Africa, where malaria transmission intensity is high.
Two Decades of Commitment to Malaria Vaccine Development: Glaxosmithkline Biologicals
by W. Ripley Ballou and Conor P. Cahill NIH
GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals (GSK) is committed to the development of a safe and effective malaria vaccine. Its research program in this field was initiated in 1984 and has been continuously active to this day, making it unparalleled within the vaccine industry. Although it works in partnerships with several leading organizations from the public sector, this effort has required GSK to invest major financial and human resource commitments, and its partners rely heavily on the company’s global infrastructure and expertise in research, advanced clinical development, regulatory, large-scale manufacturing, and commercialization.
Enhancing protective immunity to malaria with a highly immunogenic virus-like particle vaccine
by Katharine A. Collins 19/4/17 scientific reports
The leading malaria vaccine in development is the circumsporozoite protein (CSP)-based particle vaccine, RTS,S, which targets the pre-erythrocytic stage of Plasmodium falciparum infection. It induces modest levels of protective efficacy, thought to be mediated primarily by CSP-specific antibodies. We aimed to enhance vaccine efficacy by generating a more immunogenic CSP-based particle vaccine and therefore developed a next-generation RTS,S-like vaccine, called R21.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43856-023-00373-y
by Alisa Hamilton 13/10/23 communications medicine
The emergence of antimalarial drug resistance poses a major threat to effective malaria treatment and control. This study aims to inform policymakers and vaccine developers on the potential of an effective malaria vaccine in reducing drug-resistant infections.
Efficacy and safety of RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine with or without a booster dose in infants and children in Africa: final results of a phase 3, individually randomised, controlled trial
by RTS,S Clinical Trials Partnership ScienceDirect
The efficacy and safety of the RTS,S/AS01 candidate malaria vaccine during 18 months of follow-up have been published previously. Herein, we report the final results from the same trial, including the efficacy of a booster dose.
A Research Agenda for Malaria Eradication: Vaccines
by The malERA Consultative Group on Vaccines 25/1/11 PLOS Medicine
Vaccines could be a crucial component of efforts to eradicate malaria. Current attempts to develop malaria vaccines are primarily focused on Plasmodium falciparum and are directed towards reducing morbidity and mortality. Continued support for these efforts is essential, but if malaria vaccines are to be used as part of a repertoire of tools for elimination or eradication of malaria, they will need to have an impact on malaria transmission.
Promising malaria vaccine to be tested in first large field trial
by Declan Butler 16/4/19 nature
A malaria vaccine that can provide up to 100% protection against the disease will be tested in a large clinical trial for the first time, to study its efficacy under real-world conditions.
Malaria Vaccines
Malaria vaccines have been in development since the 1960's, with substantial progress in the last decade. October 6, 2021, marked a historic day in the development of malaria vaccines, with release of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation for widespread use of the RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) malaria vaccine among children living in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions with moderate to high P. falciparum malaria transmission. Two years later, the WHO approved a second malaria vaccine (R21/Matrix-M) for use in malaria endemic countries.
Malaria vaccines (RTS,S and R21)
Despite progress, efforts to control malaria face many challenges. There were an estimated 263 million new malaria cases and 597 000 malaria deaths globally in 2023. The WHO African Region continues to shoulder the heaviest malaria burden, comprising 94% of malaria cases and 95% of malaria deaths globally.
A Next-Generation Malaria Vaccine
by Yale School of Public Health YouTube
The world’s first malaria vaccines were recommended for general use only in October 2021, but already the parasites that cause the disease are developing resistance to them. “We currently have two malaria vaccines, which is really exciting, but they have modest efficacy that wanes over time,” said Dr. Amy Bei, PhD, an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health. Malaria killed just under 600,000 people in 2023.
35 years of RTS,S | The world’s first malaria vaccine for endemic countries
Find how we worked with partners on the research and development of RTS,S – the world’s first malaria vaccine for endemic countries. The video features interviews with our GSK R&D teams, our partners at PATH and healthcare leaders in Kenya, to delve into 35 years of development: how we started out, what challenges we met along the way and where things are now.
Can a new malaria vaccine for children eradicate the disease? Here’s what to know
Malaria is one of the world’s deadliest diseases. Across Africa, it kills nearly half a million children younger than 5 each year. A new vaccine, only the second of its kind, holds the promise of saving thousands of lives and moving the world closer to eradicating malaria. Ali Rogin speaks with Andrew Jones, deputy director of immunization supplies for UNICEF, to learn more.
Everything you need to know about the malaria vaccine
Malaria is one of the biggest global health threats, with an estimated 247 million malaria cases and 619,000 malaria deaths globally in 2021, almost all of them in Africa. On this continent, the disease is one of the biggest killers of young children, with half a million children aged under five years dying each year.
Malaria Vaccines: Recent Advances and New Horizons
by Simon J Draper Simon J Draper 11/7/18 NIH
The development of highly effective and durable vaccines against the human malaria parasites Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax remains a key priority. Decades of endeavor have taught that achieving this goal will be challenging; however, recent innovation in malaria vaccine research and a diverse pipeline of novel vaccine candidates for clinical assessment provides optimism.
Malaria Vaccines: Recent Advances and New Horizons
The development of highly effective and durable vaccines against the human malaria parasites Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax remains a key priority. Decades of endeavor have taught that achieving this goal will be challenging; however, recent innovation in malaria vaccine research and a diverse pipeline of novel vaccine candidates for clinical assessment provides optimism. With first-generation pre-erythrocytic vaccines aiming for licensure in the coming years, it is important to reflect on how next-generation approaches can improve on their success.
RTS,S
On October 6, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended RTS,S/AS01, the world’s first malaria vaccine, for use in children at risk of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum. The WHO recommendation was informed by available evidence on RTS,S, including findings from a pilot implementation of the vaccine through routine childhood immunization in areas of Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.
Malaria Vaccine Research & Development Plan
Sanaria’s innovative vaccines based on live attenuated sporozoites have shown excellent efficacy in trials in the United States, Germany, and multiple countries in Africa.
Why Malaria Vaccines May Work Better in Some Places Than Others (with Lemu Golassa)
In 2021, the WHO recommended RTS,S – not only the world’s first malaria vaccine, but the world’s first vaccine against a parasite. Decades in the making, RTS,S was first rolled out in three countries: Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.
We developed the first malaria vaccine, now what?
In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the RTS,S vaccine against malaria for broader use. Two months later, the Gavi Board approved funding to support malaria vaccine roll-out in sub-Saharan Africa. Not only is this the first malaria vaccine to earn such a recommendation and support, but it’s also the world’s first vaccine against a parasite.
Malaria vaccines: the 60-year journey of hope and final success—lessons learned and future prospects
by Amal A. El-Moamly 17/5/23 BMC
This review highlights the history of development, and the different approaches and types of malaria vaccines, and the literature to date. It covers the developmental stages of RTS,S/AS01 and recommends steps for its deployment. The review explores other potential vaccine candidates and their status, and suggests options for their further development. It also recommends future roles for vaccines in eradicating malaria. Questions remain on how RTS,S vaccine will work in widespread use and how it can best be utilized to benefit vulnerable communities.
Malaria: The malaria vaccine implementation programme (MVIP)
Beginning in 2019, 3 sub-Saharan African countries – Ghana, Kenya and Malawi – led the introduction of the vaccine in selected areas of moderate-to-high malaria transmission as part of a large-scale pilot programme coordinated by WHO. The aim is to vaccinate about 360 000 children per year in the selected areas across the 3 countries. Vaccinations are being provided through each country’s routine immunization programme.
Malaria Vaccines: Turning a Scientific Triumph into Millions of Lives Saved
After decades of research and development, two new malaria vaccines entered routine administration this year. This is a huge win for science, and potentially for humanity. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, projects that these vaccines will save 180,000 children’s lives by 2030.
In real-world study, malaria vaccine effectiveness matches clinical trials
by Chris Dall, MA 11/11/25 CIDRAP
Interim analysis of a phase 4 study shows incidence of malaria and severe malaria were significantly reduced in children who received the RTS,S/AS01E malaria vaccine, researchers reported last week in The Lancet Global Health.
Malaria vaccine basics
Malaria is one of humanity's oldest and most deadly foes, in 2022 there were 249 million infections resulting in 608 000 deaths. Vaccines are one of the most successful healthcare interventions therefore a highly effective vaccine for malaria is crucial to win the fight against this parasite.
‘We’re aiming to protect even more children’: Research starts on second-generation malaria vaccine to prevent most severe form of disease
The research will build on the success of first-generation vaccines by adding a new antigen – a molecule that stimulates an immune response.
Overview
Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite. The parasite is spread to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes. People who have malaria usually feel very sick with a high fever and shaking chills.
Malaria vaccine questions and answers
Malaria is a preventable and curable life-threatening parasitic disease, and yet there are still an estimated 627,000 deaths a year, of which 77 per cent are children under five years of age. This questions and answers update on new malaria vaccines, provides general information on malaria vaccine supply, price, and the ongoing market shaping efforts.
Africa launches historic malaria vaccine rollout amid funding uncertainty
As malaria remains one of Africa’s most persistent public health threats, 2025 is poised to become a turning point in the fight against the disease, with numerous African countries set to expand vaccine coverage at unprecedented levels.
First malaria vaccine slashes early childhood mortality
by Meredith Wadman 24/10/23 Science
In a major analysis in Africa, the first vaccine approved to fight malaria cut deaths among young children by 13% over nearly 4 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported last week. The huge evaluation of a pilot rollout of the vaccine, called RTS,S or Mosquirix and made by GlaxoSmithKline, also showed a 22% reduction in severe malaria in kids young enough to receive a three-shot series.
Zambia launches malaria vaccine to protect over half million children
Lusaka, Zambia, 27 October 2025 – The Government of the Republic of Zambia, through the Ministry of Health, today officially launched the malaria vaccine R21/Matrix-M,as part of its Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), marking a historic milestone in the country’s fight against malaria. Over 500,000 children aged 6–8 months will be vaccinated in the months following the launch.
