On Monday, Cameroon became the first nation to establish routine childhood malaria immunizations. The race is on to give protection to as many people as possible.
Malaria expert Brian Greenwood had once resigned himself to the possibility that a successful vaccine for the disease might not become available in his lifetime. Now, at 86 years old, the moment he’s spent four decades working toward has arrived. “It’s been a long journey with many ups and downs,” says Greenwood, still an active researcher at the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, leading vaccine trials across Africa.
A second malaria vaccine called R21, developed by scientists at the University of Oxford, may help make up the shortfall. The WHO added R21 to a list of prequalified vaccines last month, following studies which showed it reduced symptomatic cases of malaria by 75 percent in the 12 months following a three-dose series. At a cost of $2 and $4 per dose, it’s approximately half the price of RTS,S, and the production capacity is far greater.