Milestone in malaria battle as £3 vaccine is rolled out across Africa which could eradicate killer, mosquito-borne illness within 10 years

Milestone in malaria battle as £3 vaccine is rolled out across Africa which could eradicate killer, mosquito-borne illness within 10 years By Xantha Leatham, Deputy Science Editor Published: 01:03, 15 July 2024 | Updated: 01:10, 15 July 2024 e-mail View comments African babies are set to receive a £3 malaria vaccine that could potentially eradicate the disease within a decade. The first doses of the R21 jab, developed by a team at the University of Oxford , will be given to babies under the age of two in the Ivory Coast today and South Sudan tomorrow (Tuesday). It marks the culmination of 30 years of research into a vaccine against malaria, which kills more than 600,000 people a year - most of them in Africa and 80 per cent under the age of five.

The Serum Institute, who manufacture the vaccine, have already made 25 million doses and has the capacity to increase production to 100 million a year. The only other malaria vaccine, a jab called RTS,S, was introduced earlier this year but is twice as expensive and limited by manufacturing constraints. African babies will receive a £3 malaria vaccine that could eradicate malaria within a decade The first doses of the R21 jab, developed by a team at the University of Oxford, will be given to babies under the age of two in the Ivory Coast today and South Sudan tomorrow (Tuesday) 'A malaria-free world is finally in sight,' Adar Poonawalle, chief executive of the Serum Institute in India , told the Sunday Times.

Read More EXCLUSIVE '.