– I used to dream of the day when we would have a safe and effective vaccine against malaria. Now we have two, says Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The new vaccine, which bears the name R21, has been developed at the University of Oxford, and comes two years after the first approved malaria vaccine, RTS, S. Malaria, which is caused by parasites transmitted to the blood through mosquito bites, killed over 600,000 people in 2021. 80 percent of the deaths were children under the age of five on the African continent. – Children are most vulnerable to severe malaria, because they have not had enough time to develop an immune system against the malaria parasite, explains Gunnveig Grødeland, vaccine researcher and immunologist at the University of Oslo. Can be produced on a larger scale Grødeland supports the statement by the WHO director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, that the new vaccine can save hundreds of thousands of young lives. – Until now, access to vaccine, due to production difficulties, has been the biggest reason why children are not sufficiently protected against malaria, she explains. Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted through mosquito bites. Photo: AP Now, according to the WHO, the world’s largest vaccine producer – the Serum Institute in India – will produce more than 100 million doses of the new vaccine a year. In comparison, 18 million doses of RTS, S have been produced in total since it came out in 2021. – The enormous production capacity will mean that more children will simply get the vaccine, says Grødeland. A decisive difference According to the WHO, the effectiveness of R21 is very similar to that of RTS, S. – As mentioned, the most important difference is the ability to produce R21 on a much larger scale than has been possible with RTS, S, says Grødeland. The new vaccine is also far cheaper, and each dose costs between two and four US dollars, which is roughly half the price of RTS, S. – The new vaccine is slightly less complicated, and therefore both easier and cheaper to produce, Grødeland explains. – Still a way to go The fact that the new vaccine is coming now, the immunologist believes, is somewhat coincidental. – The vaccine has been approved because it, like the one that came in 2021, is better than what has been produced previously. But compared to the corona vaccine, it is not exactly a brilliant vaccine, she says. Immunologist Gunnveig Grødeland is happy that a new vaccine has arrived, but believes that the world must continue researching the malaria parasite. Photo: Kristin Ellefsen / UiO Grødeland explains that it is problematic that you must have four doses, and that you only benefit from them in the most critical years of childhood. – We need even more basic research into the malaria parasite and our immune system, in order to come up with even better solutions for the future, she concludes.
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New malaria vaccine can save hundreds of thousands of young lives – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
