Researchers at the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute have made a major breakthrough by developing a malaria vaccine that has proven to be 77 percent effective in early trials.
Malaria claims the lives of over 400,000 people annually. Many malaria vaccines have undergone trials over a number of years, but this is the first one that has met the required target.
According to the researchers, this vaccine can have a huge impact on public health.
ALSO READ
India Identifies New Type of COVID-19 Strain as Infections Multiply
For the trial phase, the vaccine was administered to 450 children in Burkina Faso, and it was observed to be safe and displayed ‘high-level efficacy over a follow-up period of 12 months.
These findings will now be confirmed by the administration of the vaccine to 5,000 children between the ages of five months and three years in four African countries.
According to the study author Adrian Hill, who is also the Director of the Jenner Institute and a professor of Vaccinology at the University of Oxford, this malaria vaccine is the first to reach the World Health Organization’s (WHO) goal of at least 75 percent efficacy.
ALSO READ
Link Between J&J’s COVID-19 Vaccine and Blood Clotting Cases Confirmed
Currently, the most effective malaria vaccine has only shown 55 percent efficacy in trials on African children.
In 2019, the WHO estimated 229 million malaria cases worldwide and reported 409,000 deaths.
