New malaria vaccine cuts child deaths by 75% in first-year rollout
The R21 vaccine has been distributed to 12 African nations, with early data showing the strongest results in a generation.
A year after the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine began its rollout across 12 African nations, health ministries are reporting a 75% reduction in child mortality from the disease in vaccinated districts.
The World Health Organization called the results "a turning point in a fight that has cost too many lives for too long." More than 18 million children have now received at least one dose.
In Ghana's Ashanti region, pediatric malaria admissions have fallen to their lowest level since records began in 1968. Nurses describe wards that used to be overflowing during the rainy season as noticeably quieter.
Production is scaling rapidly: the Serum Institute of India expects to deliver 100 million doses next year, at a cost of under $4 per dose.