In 2021, there were 247 million malaria cases globally, which led to 619,000 deaths in total. Ninety-five per cent of the world’s cases are linked to the World Health Organisation (WHO) African region, comprising Sub-Saharan Africa.
In a leap forward against Malaria, the WHO approved a cheaper, easier to mass-produce vaccination. Named R21, the vaccine will be rolled out at the beginning of 2024, costing between two and four American dollars per dose, with four doses needing to be administered over two years.
Malaria is still a worldwide problem, with seven to eight hundred Australians returning the parasite yearly. The WHO still has a long way to go if it wishes to meet its target of a ninety per cent Malaria transmission and mortality rate by 2030.
Image: Image: Shutterstock: ocphoto
Produced By: Dominic Giles
Featured In Story: Dr Jake Baum, Professor of Infectious Diseases and Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences at UNSW
First aired on The Wire, Tuesday 3 October 2023