The World Health Organization has approved the first-ever malaria vaccine. Mosquirix, the first vaccine ever developed for a parasitic disease, is 50 percent effective in preventing serious cases.
The World Health Organization approved on Wednesday the first-ever vaccine preventing the transmission of malaria, the mosquito-borne virus that kills an estimated 500,000 people every year, including around 260,000 children under the age of 5. The green-light is a major step toward the widespread distribution of the vaccine to regions struck by malaria, including sub-Saharan Africa, where the majority of malaria deaths occur. Dr. Pedro Alonso, director of the WHO’s global malaria program, called the development of a vaccine against a disease that killed hundreds of millions in the 20th century alone a “historic event.” While this represents progress in the effort to stop one of the deadliest diseases in human history, the vaccine is not as effective as the coronavirus shots approved for use by the World Health Organization late last year.
