First-ever Malaria vaccine approved for use in Ghana. Malaria kills 620,000 annually

Colombo (News 1st) - The West African nation of Ghana has approved the use of the first-ever vaccine for Malaria, a disease that kills 620,000 every year worldwide, most of them children, foreign media reported.

The R21 Vaccine, developed by scientists at the University of Oxford, is expected to be a game-changer in the centuries-old fight against Malaria. Scientists have been trying to develop a vaccine for over a century.

The World Health Organisation is already considering worldwide approval for the vaccine.

Trials have shown that the R21 Vaccine is 80% effective in protecting against Malaria. It is administered in three doses with a booster one year later.

The Serum Institute of India is expected to commence production of 100-200 million doses per year, and is likely to set up a factory in Ghana.

Malaria is spread by a particular type of mosquito and mainly affects tropical countries in Africa, Asia, South America and Central America.