Cheaper, more effective malaria vaccine wins WHO approval: What is it?

World Health Organization has given approval to a second malaria vaccine known as R21/Matrix-M which will protect people against the deadly disease, the vaccine has the highest efficacy of 75%.

The vaccine was made ready with a collaborative effort of the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India, with an aim to protect vulnerable children who are at a higher risk of getting infected with this deadly disease.

The WHO’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, confirmed that the R21/Matrix-M vaccine will be available for administration by mid of 2024. In an effort to ensure widespread accessibility, he also said that the vaccine doses would be reasonably priced, ranging from $2 to $4.