Words by Smiley Team
Oxford University has developed a malaria vaccine; “the best yet” in the fight against malaria.
Malaria is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, killing over 600,000 people in 2020 according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The fight to produce an effective vaccine has been a long one.
Last year, the first vaccine for malaria was approved by the WHO, called the RTS,S vaccine. Now, trials by Oxford University have led to the development of a new vaccine, the R21 vaccine, which has an even higher success rate.
The study in question discovered that “a booster dose of R21/Matrix-M at one year following the primary three-dose regimen maintained high efficacy against first and multiple episodes of clinical malaria.“
Translation: the first treatment involved giving young children three doses of either a high potency form of the drug, a low potency form of the drug, or a placebo. Those who received either form of the drug at the beginning and returned for a booster vaccine a year later were found to be highly protected against malaria.
Oxford University found that those who received the high potency form of the drug were protected at an incredible rate of 80% against malaria.
With almost half a million children dying from malaria in 2020 alone, the need for protection is urgent. This new development from Oxford University, along with the already approved RTS,S vaccine, is a sign of hope for millions of people.
DONATE: Donate to UNICEF and help bring lifesaving vaccines to the children who need them the most.
GET INVOLVED: Join a community fundraiser with Malaria No More and help raise funds for the fight against malaria.
