First malaria vaccine recommendation published in WHO guidelines for malaria

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published an updated position paper on the RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) malaria vaccine, which includes the October 2021 recommendation calling for the wider use of the vaccine among children living in areas of moderate-to-high Plasmodium falciparum malaria transmission. The paper complements the recent addition of the recommendation to the WHO malaria guidelines.

The WHO report that the vaccine is a major step forward for malaria control, child health and health equity, and if implemented broadly, could save tens of thousands of lives each year.

Source: WHO, 4 March 2022