Celebrating Critical Progress in the Fight Against Malaria

Malaria affects more than half the world’s population, causing severe illness and death for many at-risk populations, including pregnant women, people living with HIV/AIDS and children, with sub-Saharan Africa as the hardest hit region. In 2022, there were 249 million cases of malaria, claiming the lives of an estimated 608,000 people that year. Children under five account for 76 percent of all malaria deaths worldwide, with a child under five shockingly dying nearly every minute. 

In October 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) made a historic announcement that the public health community had dreamed of for more than a century and worked toward addressing for decades, the recommendation of the RTS,S malaria vaccine that could reduce the burden of this disease and save many lives. The CDC Foundation proudly took part in the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP) in Kenya that informed this landmark decision, collaborating with partners such as WHO, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Kenyan Ministry of Health and other international and in-country partners to increase the understanding of the potential impact of the vaccine.   

In 2023, we wrapped up our 46-month evaluation, and the findings have been promising. In Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, the three countries that took part in MVIP, there is continued demand and high acceptability for the vaccine. It saw successful integration into national immunization programs with about a high percentage of children reached through these platforms, including some of the most vulnerable children, like those without access to other tools for malaria prevention, such as insecticide-treated bed nets.  

As we celebrate these continued steps forward, we’re seeing the impact of this work: in the three countries that took part in MVIP, early childhood deaths dropped by 13 percent. And efforts are in place to bring this lifesaving vaccine to scale: 12 additional countries have applied for funding to support vaccine introduction, and, on January 22, 2024, we saw the vaccine roll out in Cameroon. An additional 1.7 million doses will be delivered to Burkina Faso, Liberia, Niger and Sierra Leone in early 2024. 

Malaria control requires multi-faceted strategies, constant vigilance and commitment by the global health community to continue research and innovation. Our work does not end here.  

As part of our work strengthening global health security, the CDC Foundation, in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, supported CDC and the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) to establish the first Partnership for Antimalarial Resistance Monitoring in Africa (PARMA) hub at Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, Senegal. This state-of-the-art hub has the promise of becoming a training and support center for nearby countries like Guinea and Cameroon, where scientists will gain a deeper understanding of antimalarial resistance at the molecular level. We also support ongoing research at CDC and with other global partners to propel understanding of malaria forward. 

Global health security involves building strong, resilient public health systems throughout the world that can prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies, wherever they occur. Nowhere is this work more relevant than in the struggle against malaria, where life-saving interventions are needed now more than ever and where our work has the potential to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of children every year. Learn more on our website about our work strengthening global health security.

Catherine Zilber is vice president for infectious disease programs at the CDC Foundation

Image: Noreen (left) with son Elian (right), the first child to receive the RTS,S malaria vaccine in Kenya through routine immunization as part of the pilot programme. 3 years later, Elian is fully vaccinated and healthy. Photo credit: WHO.