R21/Matrix-M Malaria Vaccine

December 22, 2023

GS Paper III Science and Technology

Context: R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine added to the WHO’s list of prequalified vaccines.

The R21 Malaria vaccine is the second malaria shot approved by WHO, following the RTS,S/AS01.

About R21/Matrix-M Malaria Vaccine

It is developed by the University of Oxford and manufactured by Serum Institute of India.
Recommended Usage: To prevent Malaria in children under 5 years of age.
Efficacy: It can reduce malaria cases by 75% over a year.
Price: It will be priced around $5 per dose at high volumes. Hence making it cheaper and accessible to a larger population

About Malaria

About: It is caused by Plasmodium parasites, which spread through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
- It is caused in humans by five species of parasite, but 2 amongst them – Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax constitute the bulk of the incidence of infection.
Malaria is not contagious and cannot spread from one person to another, also, it is preventable and curable.
In 2021, an estimated 247 million people contracted malaria in 85 countries, and the disease claimed approximately 619,000 lives.
India accounts for 3% of the global Malaria burden.

Also Read:

WHO Vaccines Prequalification

Objective: To ensure that vaccines used in immunization programmes are safe and effective.

WHO Vaccines Prequalification List: Significance

Benchmark of Quality: Vaccines meets WHO standard for vaccine quality, safety and efficacy standards, as endorsed by the WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization (ECBS)
Suitability: Vaccine is suitable for the target population (in accordance with the recommended immunization schedules) and for use with appropriate concomitant products
Operational Specifications: Vaccines meet the operational specifications for packaging and presentation of UN organizations interested in procuring that vaccine.
Funding: It ensures funding support for deployment by Gavi (Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation) the Vaccine Alliance.

News source: Down to Earth

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