112,000 Malaria Vaccines Arrived in Liberia

The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Liberia today announced the arrival of 112,000 doses of the Mosquirix™ (RTS,S) malaria vaccine.

GSK's Mosquirix vaccine has been piloted in Africa since 2019 and has been shown to be safe and effective, reducing severe malaria by 30% and malaria deaths by 13%.

With two malaria vaccines now approved for use in Africa, Liberia's fight against this preventable mosquito-borne disease may save thousands of children's lives. Malaria vaccinations are scheduled to launch in April 2024.

"The arrival of this life-saving vaccine is a game changer in our fight against malaria," said Adolphus Clarke, Director of the Expanded Programme on Immunization at the Ministry of Health of Liberia, in a press release on January 23, 2024.

"We are committed to ensuring that every child in Liberia has access to this vaccine and is protected from this deadly disease."

According to the World Health Organization, eleven countries saw an estimated 249 million malaria cases and 426,000 deaths in 2022.

In the United States, about ten locally acquired malaria cases were reported in 2023.

However, malaria vaccines are not available in the U.S. as of January 2024.