World’s First Malaria Vaccine: 18 Million Doses to Save Kids’ Lives

18 million doses of the world’s first malaria vaccine are set to roll out across 12 African countries over the next two years.

“The high demand for the vaccine and the strong reach of childhood immunization will increase equity in access to malaria prevention and save many young lives. We will work tirelessly to increase supply until all children at risk have access,” says Dr. Kate O’Brien, the director of immunization, vaccines, and biologicals at the World Health Organization.

Malaria kills nearly half a million children under five in Africa each year, and the vaccine is expected to save tens of thousands of those lives. The initial 18 million doses have been assigned to the countries where the risk of children dying from malaria is the highest, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. The vaccine itself was declared “safe and effective” and has been given to 1.7 million children since 2019 during its testing stage. The rollout of the malaria vaccine has been long awaited and is set to begin in the final quarter of this year.