Malaria Vaccine: WHO approves second malaria vaccine, will be available for use by the end of 2024

Second Malaria Vaccine The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday recommended the use of the second malaria vaccine. This will be helpful in curbing some deadly diseases spread by mosquitoes to humans. Two years ago, WHO recommended the world's first malaria vaccine, RTS-S.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva that today I am very happy to announce this. He said that the use of another vaccine called R21 Matrix-M, which helps in preventing malaria, is being recommended. R21 Matrix-M has been developed by Oxford University, UK. Its use will start in some African countries in early 2024. It will become available in other countries in mid-2024.

Tedros said that its single dose would cost between two and four dollars. In this regard, the Serum Institute of India said on Monday that WHO has approved the malaria vaccine, paving the way for the world's second such vaccine to be launched globally.

License given to Pune-based SII for vaccine manufacturing

The malaria vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India (SII), leveraging Novavax's adjuvant technology, has been recommended for use by WHO. It said that Pune-based SII has been given license to manufacture the vaccine.

The company has already set up a production capacity of 2 crore doses per year, which will be doubled in the next two years. SII CEO Adar Poonawala said that for too long, malaria has threatened the lives of billions of people around the world, affecting the most vulnerable among us. He said the WHO recommendation and approval of the vaccine is a major milestone in fighting malaria.