A recently published study shows that a malaria vaccine administered to Malian women anticipating pregnancy increasingly protected expecting mothers before and during pregnancy, a world first.
“These research findings open the door for the malaria vaccine to protect women at a critically vulnerable time during pregnancy, which will benefit both women and their new babies,” explains Malaria Consortium‘s Technical Director, Katherine Theiss-Nyland. “This is a major step forward in addressing the real-world health needs of pregnant women in malaria-endemic settings.”
The Sanaria PfSPZ malaria vaccine was administered to Malian women between 2018 and 2021. They were protected against malaria infection and clinical malaria for over two years without the need for a booster shot. This study is one of the rare ones focusing on pregnant women; they have historically been excluded from clinical trials since malaria infection during pregnancy poses considerable risks to mothers, their unborn children, and newborns.
