GNV News, September 1, 2024

In August 2024, according to research findings published in The Lancet, a recently developed malaria vaccine (PfSPZ) has, for the first time in the world, been confirmed to provide long-term protection against malaria for pregnant women as well. In this study conducted in Bamako, the capital of Mali, it was confirmed for the first time worldwide that a single dose provided two years of protection.

Because risks to maternal and child health are a concern, pregnant women are usually seldom included in clinical trials for vaccines. However, malaria itself poses major risks to pregnant women. During pregnancy, women experience reduced immunity and are more susceptible to illness, increasing the risk of contracting and developing severe malaria. In fact, every year 50,000 pregnant women and 200,000 newborns die due to malaria during pregnancy. Until now, there have been no prophylactic drugs for women in early pregnancy. However, even if vaccines for prevention become available, challenges remain regarding therapeutic drugs administered if infection occurs. For malaria patients in early pregnancy without complications, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends only one antimalarial drug.

Learn more about malaria → “Malaria: Will the improvements achieved in Africa be lost?”

Learn more about malaria vaccines → “The 10 major world news stories hidden in 2021”

Anopheles mosquito capable of transmitting the malaria parasite (Photo: Dunpharlain / Wikimedia Commons [CC-BY-SA-4.0])