NEWS: Ifakara science director on promising new malaria vaccine
On July 10, 2024, Dr. Ally Olotu, Ifakara Health Institute’s Director of Science, spoke with AZAM Media on its flagship news channel - UTV about the new malaria vaccine "RH5.1/Matrix-M," which has shown promise in early trials.
The RH5.1/Matrix-M malaria vaccine demonstrated safety and effectiveness in early trials conducted at the Ifakara Clinical Trials Facility in Bagamoyo, Tanzania.
This study was a collaboration between scientists from the University of Oxford, Ifakara Health Institute, the National Institutes of Health (USA), KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme (Kenya), Muhimbili National Hospital (Tanzania), and Novavax AB (Sweden), involving healthy adults and young children.
>> Learn more about RH5.1/Matrix-M here
Building on past success
In October 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the "R21" malaria vaccine, following successful clinical trials conducted by Ifakara and partners from 2021-2022 to protect children against malaria.
Dr. Olotu highlighted that the new vaccine will further WHO's goals of improving existing vaccines for children and ensuring effective vaccines for other age groups.