“The arrival of the RTS,S malaria vaccine was a landmark moment; Ghana, Kenya and Malawi were the first countries in the world to offer it to their populations as part of a pilot project launched in 2019, and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended it for wider use in 2021.

Early studies indicated that the vaccine had a 13% drop in all-cause mortality, and a comprehensive new study of the last four years of vaccine roll-out published in The Lancet has confirmed this figure. That translates to roughly one in eight deaths prevented…

The study tracked 158 clusters across the three countries, with 79 areas introducing the vaccine in 2019 and 79 serving as comparison areas that received it later. Surveillance was built on a network of more than 26,000 local reporters who notified researchers of child deaths in their communities, followed by home visits to confirm details.

The findings carry particular weight because of how the study was designed. Clusters were randomly assigned, baseline characteristics were balanced, and coverage of other interventions, including bed-nets, routine vaccines and care-seeking for fever, remained similar across implementation and comparison areas throughout the four years.

This means, say the researchers, that the drop in deaths can be  ‘confidently attributed’ to the vaccine itself rather than to other shifts in malaria care.”

From Gavi.

“The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Tunisia as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem…

Trachoma is closely linked to limited access to water, sanitation and hygiene, and hits vulnerable populations hardest. In the early to mid-20th century, trachoma was endemic in Tunisia, affecting at least half of the population, especially in its southern regions…

Trachoma is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis and spreads through close contact with infected individuals, contaminated surfaces, and flies that carry eye and nose discharge. Repeated infections can lead to scarring of the eyelids, turning eyelashes inward, and ultimately causing blindness if untreated.”

From World Health Organization.

“Neonatal tetanus, a silent but preventable killer, claims the lives of newborns within their first days of life, particularly in settings with unsafe delivery practices and poor umbilical cord care. Through successful vaccination campaigns, both South Sudan and Sudan have achieved Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination (MNTE), a significant public health milestone.”

From Forbes.

“For adults aged 50 years or older, an investigational messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccine (mRNA-1010) is superior to standard-dose licensed vaccines for preventing influenza-like illness, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine…

Overall, 20,350 participants received mRNA-1010 and 20,353 received the standard-dose comparator. The researchers found that 2.0% and 2.8% of the recipients of mRNA-1010 and the standard-dose comparator, respectively, had RT-PCR-confirmed, protocol-defined influenza-like illness, corresponding to a relative vaccine efficacy of 26.6% and meeting the criteria for noninferiority, superiority, and higher-level superiority. Solicited adverse reactions occurred more often with mRNA-1010 than the standard-dose comparator; they were mainly mild-to-moderate and transient. Overall, 2.2% and 1.9% of recipients of mRNA-1010 and the standard-dose comparator, respectively, had serious adverse events.”

From Medical Xpress.