‘Ground-breaking’ malaria vaccine approved for children in sub-Saharan Africa

Children across much of Africa are to be offered a vaccine for malaria as efforts to stamp out the deadly disease are ramped up. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended widespread use of the RTS,S malaria vaccine – developed by British pharmaceutical giant GSK – for children in sub-Saharan Africa and in other regions with moderate to high levels of malaria transmission. More than 260,000 African children die from malaria every year. The global health body said that the decision “changes the course of public health history”.