17 December 2024
A mother and baby at a malaria vaccination in Burkina Faso, 2024. Credit: Gavi/2024/Arnauld Yalgwueogo
Gavi’s achievements in rolling out the malaria vaccine are a historic breakthrough in the fight against one of the world's deadliest diseases. With critical, flexible financing from IFFIm, the malaria vaccine will protect millions of young lives and reshape health systems in malaria-prone regions.
Malaria remains one of the deadliest diseases in the world, particularly for young children. Each year, it claims the lives of nearly half a million children under five and impacts hundreds of millions more. The fight against this disease has seen significant progress over the years, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and partners are working to make malaria a thing of the past.
New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveal that an estimated 2.2 billion cases of malaria and 12.7 million deaths have been averted since 2000, but the disease remains a serious global health threat. There were an estimated 263 million cases and 597,000 malaria deaths worldwide in 2023. This represents about 11 million more cases in 2023 compared to 2022, and nearly the same number of deaths.
Africa bears the brunt of the malaria burden, because many at risk still lack access to the services they need to prevent, detect and treat the disease. In 2023 alone, the continent accounted for approximately 95% of global malaria cases.
Tragically, more than 580,000 people lost their lives to the disease in the WHO Africa region that year, with children under five making up the majority of these deaths.
This grim reality makes malaria one of Africa’s biggest killers and highlights the urgent need for effective interventions.
Vaccination offers a powerful new tool in the fight against malaria. Since 2019, the RTS,S vaccine has been piloted in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi through the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP). The results have been remarkable, showing a 13% reduction in all-cause mortality and a 22% decrease in hospitalisations.
Following WHO’s approval, the vaccine has been scaled up rapidly. As of 2024, 17 African countries—including Ghana, Malawi, and Kenya—have introduced the malaria vaccine with Gavi’s support, reaching 5 million children. Next year up to eight more African countries will join them as Gavi’s malaria vaccine programme expands further, aiming to reach 13 million children in total 2025.
As of 30 June, IFFIm had provided more than US$ 21.6 million of the US$ 49 million Gavi had deployed to jumpstart the malaria vaccine in the 17 countries Gavi has served—nearly 45% of Gavi’s malaria vaccine programme expenditures to-date. Unlike other sources of funding, IFFIm can frontload long-term contributions to provide Gavi with flexible, immediate resources to support new vaccine introductions like malaria. In this way, IFFIm’s financial support has provided the essential resources needed for Gavi to fast-track vaccine procurement, distribution, and training of healthcare workers. Thanks to IFFIm’s contributions, Gavi has been able to deliver the vaccine and ensure it reaches remote and underserved communities quickly and effectively.
Despite the progress, challenges remain. As climate change intensifies the spread of infectious diseases like malaria, the need for a robust, well-funded response has never been greater. Gavi needs to secure a successful replenishment for its next five-year strategic period starting 2026 to expand access to this lifesaving tool. For the 2026 to 2030 strategic period, Gavi aims to reach at least 50 million children with four doses of either malaria vaccine and continue working with partners like the Global Fund to ensure countries and communities have access to the full package of tools to fight this deadly disease.
Malaria’s days are numbered, and with continued investment from IFFIm, Gavi can help create a future where no child dies from a preventable disease.
In Sierra Leone, the first malaria vaccine doses were administered to children at the Waterloo Health Centre where the authorities kicked off the rollout of 550,000 vaccine doses. The vaccine was then delivered to health facilities nationwide. Credit: Gavi/2024/Dominique Fofanah.
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17 December 2024
17 December 2024