Sub-Saharan Africa recorded a whopping 94 per cent of the global malaria cases and deaths until 2019, with children being the worst affected. Hence, the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme, a pilot project, was run in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi by WHO, UNICEF and other partners. They used a vaccine called RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) among kids and infants, which bore breakthrough results. It was developed after 30 years of medical research and is a first-ever anti-malaria solution approved by WHO. With its widespread use recommended across Africa, this long-awaited dose marks a great scientific triumph and a hope for the millions suffering.
Student of Class 12, St Marks World School, New Delhi