The first malaria vaccine for babies and young children has been approved. It is expected to be rolled out in African countries where the disease is prevalent in the coming weeks.
Children up to 4.5 kilos were previously treated with drugs intended for older children. This risked overdosing. The liver functions of young children are not yet fully developed, and their bodies process the drugs differently.
The new vaccine, developed by the Swiss company Novartis, has been approved by the authorities. The vaccine is expected to be deployed in eight countries, including Nigeria, Tanzania, and Kenya, in the coming weeks.
The pharmaceutical company Novartis says it will largely offer the drug without profit in places where the disease is prevalent.
According to an estimate by the World Health Organization (WHO), almost 600,000 people died from malaria in 2023. In 76 percent of the deaths, children under the age of five were involved.
The fight against the disease is complicated by cuts in international aid programs. For example, the United States plans to halve the budget of an important malaria control program. At the same time, it is predicted that the Anopheles mosquito, which carries the disease, will occur in more and more places. This has to do with climate change.