Malaria vaccine study confirms significant reduction in child deaths in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, boosting calls for more funding

World Health Organization has confirmed that the RTS,S malaria vaccine significantly reduced child deaths in the first three African countries to introduce the immunisation programme.

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The findings, published on Friday in The Lancet, showed that an estimated one in eight child deaths were prevented among eligible children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi during a four-year evaluation period between 2019 and 2023.

The assessment reviewed data from the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme and concluded that the positive impact of the malaria vaccine could be as high, or even higher, in other African countries currently deploying the vaccine in regions with heavy malaria transmission.

Kate O’Brien described the results as compelling evidence of the vaccine’s transformative potential across Africa.

“This is very solid evidence of the potential for malaria vaccines to change the trajectory of child mortality in Africa, and why it is urgent to overcome funding challenges to accelerate rollout,” O’Brien said.

The WHO official added that while demand for the vaccine remained high and supply was currently sufficient, more financial support was urgently needed to enable countries to expand access to vulnerable children.

Despite years of global intervention efforts, malaria continues to be one of the leading causes of death among African children. According to the report, about 438,000 African children died from malaria in 2024 alone.

Daniel Ngamije Madandi said the vaccine was proving to be a powerful addition to existing malaria prevention strategies.

“Malaria vaccination strengthens the response and increases access to malaria prevention in countries that use a mix of proven interventions to optimise impact substantially in moderate and high transmission areas,” Madandi said.

Researchers also found that the four-dose malaria vaccine schedule created additional opportunities for healthcare workers to deliver other childhood immunisations, including measles and meningitis vaccines, alongside vitamin A supplements and insecticide-treated mosquito nets.

The evaluation further confirmed that the introduction of the malaria vaccine did not reduce uptake of other childhood vaccines or weaken the use of existing malaria prevention tools.

Currently, 25 malaria-endemic African countries have integrated malaria vaccines into their childhood immunisation programmes, targeting more than 10 million children annually.

However, the report warned that funding shortages remain a critical obstacle preventing many countries from expanding vaccination coverage to national levels, despite adequate supplies of WHO-recommended vaccines, RTS,S and R21.

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The groundbreaking evaluation was conducted by scientists from WHO, African research institutions and international health bodies, including the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.