A new study has shown that the RTS,S malaria vaccine significantly reduced child deaths in the first three African countries where it was introduced, strengthening calls for wider access to malaria immunisation across the continent.
The findings, published in The Lancet and announced by the World Health Organisation on Friday, revealed that an estimated one in eight child deaths were prevented among eligible children in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi during a four-year implementation period from 2019 to 2023.
The study evaluated data from the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme and suggested that countries currently rolling out malaria vaccines could experience similar or even greater benefits, particularly in areas with high malaria transmission.
WHO’s Director of Immunisation, Vaccines and Biologicals, Kate O’Brien, described the findings as compelling evidence of the vaccine’s life-saving potential in Africa.
“This is very solid evidence of the potential for malaria vaccines to change the trajectory of child mortality in Africa, and why it is urgent to overcome funding challenges to accelerate rollout,” O’Brien said.
She added that although demand for malaria vaccines remains high and supply is currently sufficient, more financial support is needed to enable countries to procure adequate doses alongside other preventive measures.
“More financing is needed so that countries can purchase enough vaccine, along with other malaria prevention tools, to reach all the kids most at risk of serious disease or death,” she stated.
Despite progress in malaria prevention, the disease remains one of the leading causes of child mortality across Africa. WHO estimates indicate that approximately 438,000 African children died from malaria in 2024 alone.
WHO’s Director of Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases, Daniel Ngamije Madandi, emphasised that malaria vaccines are most effective when integrated with existing preventive interventions.
“Malaria vaccination strengthens the response and increases access to malaria prevention in countries that use a mix of proven interventions to optimise impact substantially in moderate and high transmission areas,” Madandi said.
Researchers also found that the vaccine’s four-dose schedule created additional opportunities for healthcare providers to administer other childhood vaccines, including measles and meningitis immunisations, as well as health interventions such as vitamin A supplementation and insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
According to the evaluation, introducing the malaria vaccine did not negatively affect the uptake of other childhood vaccines or the use of existing malaria prevention methods.
Currently, 25 malaria-endemic African countries have incorporated malaria vaccines into their childhood immunisation programmes, with more than 10 million children targeted annually.
However, WHO warned that inadequate funding continues to hinder efforts by many countries to expand vaccination coverage, despite sufficient supplies of the WHO-recommended RTS,S and R21 malaria vaccines.
The evaluation involved researchers from WHO, Africa-based institutions, and global health organisations, including the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
