Health
Breakthrough in Fight Vs Malaria as WHO Approves Oxford Shot
- ‘Today is a great day for science,’ head of WHO Tedros says
- Malaria kills about half a million children in Africa annually
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A malaria shot developed by researchers at the University of Oxford can help children avoid contracting the deadly disease, the World Health Organization said, recommending the second vaccine developed against the infection.
The vaccine, known as R21, has been shown to have an efficacy as high as 80% one year after a fourth dose was administered to infants in a clinical trial. The approval will help the fight against the mosquito-borne disease as only 18 million doses of the existing approved vaccine are available through 2025, while there will be as many as 100 million doses per year of R21.