The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended widespread use of the RTS,S malaria vaccine for the prevention of P. falciparum malaria among children living in regions with moderate to high malaria transmission. The vaccine is to be provided as part of countries’ immunization and comprehensive malaria control strategies.   

 With this additional malaria intervention available for use, malaria-endemic countries are considering whether and how to add the vaccine to existing malaria control strategies to help reduce child illness and deaths from the parasitic disease. However, since RTS,S supply is limited in the short term, malaria vaccination will focus on children living in areas of greatest need across endemic countries, with phased expansion to other areas as supply increases. 

 Since vaccine supply is expected to be insufficient to meet demand in the initial years, global partners, including WHO, Gavi, UNICEF, PATH, and GSK, continue to work to increase supply and reduce costs as rapidly as possible. In the meantime, countries with areas of moderate to high malaria transmission can apply to access the vaccine. To address the shortage issues, a prioritization mechanism—the Framework for allocation of limited malaria vaccine supply—has been developed to allocate supply until it can fully meet demand. 

 Other efforts are underway to help ensure the long-term, sustainable supply of RTS,S. These efforts include plans for product transfer from the vaccine's developer, GSK, to Bharat Biotech of India. To learn more about the agreement, read the press release.