RH5.1/Matrix-M: highlighting blood-stage malaria vaccines
The deployment of the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine and the prequalification of R21/Matrix-M vaccine are important milestones that target child health and survival, especially in Africa.1 Sub-Saharan Africa bears approximately 94% of global malaria cases and deaths, with nearly 50% of all cases in Nigeria (27%), the Democratic Republic of Congo (12%), Uganda (5%), and Mozambique (4%).2 Approximately 76% of deaths occur in children under the age of 5 years, a percentage that has not changed since 2015. To guide and accelerate clinical development, WHO updated the preferred product characteristics for malaria vaccines.
