RTS,S vaccine pilot: 13% mortality reduction fuels hope for malaria control

Four years since the first children received the world’s first malaria vaccine as part of routine immunisation programmes, important questions about the real-world impact of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine are being answered. A substantial reduction in deaths from all causes in children eligible for vaccination, a robust safety profile and no discernible reduction in the use of other anti-malaria interventions were just some of the highlights from a showcase of new results from the first large-scale implementation pilot of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine. Data from the evaluation of the pilot introduction of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine reportedly show that the vaccine reduced mortality from all causes by 13% in children in the age group eligible for vaccination. The results point to the potential of RTS,S/AS01 and the similar R21/MatrixM malaria vaccine to save “tens of thousands of lives each year” if broadly implemented, says Mary Hamel, WHO’s head of the Malaria Vaccine Implementation...