A new malaria vaccine for children has just been approved by The World Health Organization or WHO. This vaccine has been proven to be more effective at stopping malaria, and a lot cheaper than the old vaccine. This new vaccine is called the R21/Matrix-M and scientists say it could save millions of lives.

The R21/Matrix-M is the second malaria vaccine WHO has recommended. The RTS,S/AS01 was approved by WHO in 2021. Both of these vaccines have been proven to prevent malaria in children. 

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease and is a great threat to children in the African Region, nearly half a million children die every year. This new vaccine can hopefully reduce that number greatly. The RTS, S/AS01 has been in high demand and is limited. But the R21/Matrix-M is a lot easier to get a hold of and give to children where malaria is a big public health risk.

Many doctors and researchers are stating that malaria will not be as big a problem as it was, and we might have a malaria-free future. This vaccine might be able to close the big demand and supply problem that we have for malaria vaccines. 

The R21/Matrix-M has a lot of features that make it good. It has a high impact, it does a great job of preventing malaria in areas where it’s a big issue, it is a lot cheaper than the RTS, S/AS01, and this vaccine has been proven to be very safe for children. 

At least 28 countries in Africa plan to make the R21/Matrix-M part of their national immunization programs. And 18 of those countries have already gotten the vaccine out to the children living there. They hope by 2024 they can get the  R21/Matrix-M to all those countries that need it.