R21/MATRIX-M MALARIA VACCINE- SCI & TECH
News: WHO
prequalifies a second malaria vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India.
What's in the news?
● The
R21 vaccine is the second malaria shot approved
by WHO, following the RTS,S/AS01.
R21/Matrix-M Malaria Vaccine:
● It
is developed by the University of Oxford
and manufactured by Serum Institute of
India.
Recommended Usage:
● To
prevent Malaria in children under 5
years of age.
Efficacy:
● It
can reduce malaria cases by 75% over
a year.
Price:
● It
will be priced around $5 per dose at high volumes. Hence making it cheaper and
accessible to a larger population.
Go back to basics:
Malaria:
● It
is caused by Plasmodium parasites,
which spread through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
● It
is caused in humans by five species of parasite, but 2 amongst them – Plasmodium
falciparum and Plasmodium vivax constitute the bulk of the incidence of
infection.
● Malaria is not
contagious and cannot spread from one person to another, also, it is preventable and curable.
● In
2021, an estimated 247 million people contracted malaria in 85 countries, and
the disease claimed approximately 619,000 lives.
● India
accounts for 3% of the global Malaria burden.