The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the use of a cost-effective malaria vaccine that can be manufactured on a large scale.
This vaccine, created by the University of Oxford, marks the second successful malaria vaccine development.
Malaria primarily affects infants and young children, posing a significant global health challenge. Agreements are already in place to produce over 100 million doses of the vaccine annually.
Developing effective malaria vaccines has been a century-long scientific endeavor. Malaria is caused by a complex parasite transmitted through mosquito bites, making it more intricate than viruses.
The parasite constantly changes its shape within the human body, evading the immune system.
This complexity has hindered both natural immunity development through malaria exposure and vaccine development efforts.
Notably, it has been nearly two years since the World Health Organization endorsed the first malaria vaccine, known as RTS,S and developed by GSK.