Thread by @WHO

LIVE: Media briefing with @DrTedros on #malaria vaccine recommendations. #EndMalaria twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

@DrTedros "As some of you may know, I started my career as a #malaria researcher, and I longed for the day that we would have an effective vaccine against this ancient and terrible disease. Today is that day; an historic day"-@DrTedros #EndMalaria

@DrTedros "𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🌍’𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 #𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞.

This recommendation is based on results from an ongoing pilot programme in 🇬🇭, 🇰🇪 & 🇲🇼 that has reached 800K+ children since 2019"-
@DrTedros

@DrTedros "This long-awaited #malaria vaccine is a breakthrough for science, child health and malaria control. Using this vaccine in addition to existing tools to prevent malaria could save tens of thousands of young lives each year"-@DrTedros #EndMalaria

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1445778337708736512?s=20

@DrTedros "We have made incredible progress in the fight against #malaria in the past 2 decades.

Since 2000, malaria deaths have fallen by more than half, and we have succeeded in eliminating malaria from many parts of the world"-@DrTedros #EndMalaria

@DrTedros "But globally, progress has stalled at an unacceptably high level, with more than 200 million cases and 400 thousand deaths every year. Two-thirds of those deaths are children under five in Africa"-@DrTedros #EndMalaria

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1445778657004294149?s=20

@DrTedros "WHO has said consistently that we need new tools to get #malaria control back on track.

Two years ago, WHO and our partners began a pilot programme to roll out this vaccine in 🇬🇭, 🇰🇪 and 🇲🇼"-@DrTedros #EndMalaria

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1172480268839636992?s=20

@DrTedros "Here is what we’ve learned:

✅ This [#malaria] vaccine can be delivered through child health clinics by Ministries of Health, and readily reach children at high coverage levels

✅ Community demand for the vaccine is strong"-@DrTedros #EndMalaria

@DrTedros "✅ It has broad reach to children – incl. the most vulnerable who may not use a bednet
✅ It’s safe
✅ It significantly reduces life-threatening severe #malaria
✅ We estimate it to be highly cost-effective"-@DrTedros #EndMalaira

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1445779299726815236?s=20

@DrTedros "This is a powerful new tool, but like #COVID19 vaccines, it’s not the only tool. Vaccination against #malaria does not replace or reduce the need for other measures, including bednets, or seeking care for fever"-@DrTedros #EndMalaria

@DrTedros "I thank the children, families and communities who have participated in this historic pilot programme.

I thank @mohgovgh, @MOH_Kenya and @health_malawi for their leadership in embarking on these pilot programmes, which have continued despite #COVID19"-@DrTedros #EndMalaria

@DrTedros @mohgovgh @MOH_Kenya @health_malawi "I thank the researchers in Africa who generated the data and insights that informed this decision – this is a vaccine developed in Africa, by African scientists"-@DrTedros #EndMalaria

@DrTedros @mohgovgh @MOH_Kenya @health_malawi "I thank GlaxoSmithKline & many research partners for creating the #malria 💉, & @PATHtweets for bringing it from discovery through development, with support from @gatesfoundation.
I thank @gavi, @GlobalFund & @UNITAID, who funded the pilot programmes & the evaluations"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @mohgovgh @MOH_Kenya @health_malawi @PATHtweets @gatesfoundation @gavi @GlobalFund @UNITAID "#Malaria has been with us for millennia, and the dream of a malaria vaccine has been a long-held but unattainable dream.

Today, the RTS,S malaria vaccine – more than 30 years in the making – changes the course of public health history"-@DrTedros #EndMalaria

@DrTedros @mohgovgh @MOH_Kenya @health_malawi @PATHtweets @gatesfoundation @gavi @GlobalFund @UNITAID "We still have a very long road to travel. But this is a long stride down that road.

This #malaria vaccine is a gift to the 🌍, but its value will be felt most in Africa, because that’s where the burden of malaria is greatest"-@DrTedros #EndMalaria