RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) is the first malaria vaccine shown to provide partial protection against malaria in young children. It will be the first malaria vaccine provided to young children through national immunization programs in three sub-Saharan African countries—Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi. These countries will introduce the vaccine in selected areas as part of a large-scale pilot implementation program coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the health ministry in each country and in collaboration with international partners, including PATH and GSK, manufacturer of the vaccine.

What is Malaria? It is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.

Global burden: In 2017, there were an estimated 219 million cases of malaria in 87 countries. The estimated number of malaria deaths stood at 435 000 in 2017.

Why developing malaria vaccine was challenge?

Unlike viruses or bacteria, Plasmodium falciparum changes shape in the human body, which makes it hard for attacking proteins triggered by the vaccine to recognize the parasite. The malaria parasite has survived for more than 50,000 years, and natural selection favors strains of the organism with mutations that help them evade threats. 

Why is the MVIP being rolled out only in Africa, and not in other regions?

The WHO African region bears the greatest burden of malaria worldwide. Most malaria illness and deaths in this region are caused by the parasite targeted by the RTS,S vaccine (P. falciparum).  The vaccine offers no protection against P. vivax malaria, which predominates in many countries outside of Africa. 

Issue area:

The vaccine is only about 39-percent effective at preventing malaria (prevents in 4 in 10 malaria cases). Some malaria researchers have questioned the wisdom of spending time and money on the pilot programme, given that a handful of more effective vaccines are in clinical trials.

Malaria cases in India:

India makes up for 4% of the world’s malaria cases, ranks high on the list of countries with a significant malaria burden and was included as the only non-African country in a list of 11 countries under special focus by the WHO Malaria report.

Malaria control programmes in India: Govt. of India launched the National Malaria Control Programme in April 1953. The programme proved highly successful and the number of malaria cases significantly declined to about 2 million by 1958. Encouraged by this, the programme was changed to a more ambitious National Malaria Eradication Programme in 1958. By 1961 the incidence dropped further to a mere 49151 cases, with no deaths. But since then the programme suffered repeated set-backs due to technical, operational and administrative reasons and the cases started rising again.

Key strategies to tackle Malaria:

1.WHO Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030 

The WHO Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030 – adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2015 – provides a technical framework for all malaria-endemic countries.

The Strategy sets ambitious but achievable global targets, including:

• Reducing malaria case incidence by at least 90% by 2030.
• Reducing malaria mortality rates by at least 90% by 2030.
• Eliminating malaria in at least 35 countries by 2030.
• Preventing a resurgence of malaria in all countries that are malaria-free.

2."High burden high impact approach"

A new country-driven response – “High burden to high impact” – was launched in Mozambique in November 2018. 
The approach will be driven by the 11 countries that carry the highest burden of the disease (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, India, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania).

Key elements include: 

1. Political will to reduce the toll of malaria; 
2. Strategic information to drive impact; 
3. Better guidance, policies and strategies; and 
4. A coordinated national malaria response.