Malaria kills more than 600,000 people a year worldwide and causes illness in more than 200 million more, with the majority of deaths occurring among young children living in sub-Saharan Africa. Although existing interventions have helped to reduce malaria deaths significantly over the past 15 years, new tools are needed.

On October 6, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended RTS,S/AS01, the world’s first malaria vaccine, for children at risk in sub-Saharan Africa and in other regions with moderate to high transmission of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum. The WHO recommendation was informed by findings from pilot implementation of RTS,S through routine childhood immunization in areas of Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi, as well as other available RTS,S evidence.