In October 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) for the first time recommended the large-scale use of a malaria vaccine for children living in areas with moderate-to-high malaria transmission. The RTS,S/AS01 (Mosquirix) was developed by GlaxoSmithKline.
About:
It took more than 30 years and approximately $700 million for this breakthrough.
Malaria kills nearly 600,000 people every year, the majority of whom are children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa.
Malaria is a disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite.
The parasite can be spread to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
There are many different types of plasmodium parasite, but only 5 types cause malaria in humans.
Plasmodium falciparum – mainly found in Africa, it's the most common type of malaria parasite and is responsible for most malaria deaths worldwide.
Plasmodium vivax – mainly found in Asia and South America, this parasite causes milder symptoms than Plasmodium falciparum, but it can stay in the liver for up to 3 years, which can result in relapses.
Plasmodium ovale – fairly uncommon and usually found in West Africa, it can remain in your liver for several years without producing symptoms.
Plasmodium malariae – this is quite rare and usually only found in Africa.
Plasmodium knowlesi – this is very rare and found in parts of Southeast Asia.
Transmission:
The plasmodium parasite is spread by female Anopheles mosquitoes, which are known as "night-biting" mosquitoes because they most commonly bite between dusk and dawn.
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