The World Health Organization has confirmed that the RTS, S malaria vaccine significantly reduced child deaths in the first African countries where it was introduced , Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.

According to findings published in The Lancet and released by the WHO on Friday, the vaccine helped prevent an estimated one in eight child deaths among eligible recipients between 2019 and 2023.

The study evaluated data gathered under the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme and suggested that similar or even greater benefits could be achieved in other African countries currently rolling out malaria vaccination programmes.

Director of Immunisation, Vaccines and Biologicals at the WHO, Kate O’Brien, described the results as strong evidence of the vaccine’s life-saving potential.

“This is very solid evidence of the potential for malaria vaccines to change the trajectory of child mortality in Africa,” she said, while calling for increased funding to expand vaccine access.

Despite improvements in malaria prevention, the disease remains one of the leading causes of child deaths in Africa. The WHO estimated that about 438,000 African children died from malaria in 2024 alone.

WHO Director of Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases, Daniel Ngamije Madandi, said malaria vaccination works best when combined with existing preventive measures such as insecticide-treated nets and other interventions.

Researchers also noted that the four-dose vaccination schedule created opportunities to improve the delivery of other childhood health services, including measles and meningitis vaccines, vitamin A supplementation, and mosquito net distribution.

The evaluation further showed that introducing the malaria vaccine did not negatively affect uptake of other childhood immunisations or malaria prevention strategies.

Currently, 25 malaria-endemic African countries have integrated malaria vaccines into childhood immunisation programmes, targeting more than 10 million children annually.

However, the WHO warned that funding shortages continue to limit wider vaccine coverage despite adequate supplies of the RTS, S, and R21 malaria vaccines.