WHO recommends widespread use of first malaria vaccine

The World Health Organization on Wednesday recommended the world's first malaria vaccine for children in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions with moderate to high transmission of the deadliest malaria pathogen. The recommendation is based on results from an ongoing pilot program that shows evidence of the vaccine's feasibility, impact and safety. 

"This is a historic moment," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. "Using this vaccine on top of existing tools to prevent malaria could save tens of thousands of young lives each year."

WHO recommends children five months of age and older receive four doses of the Mosquirix vaccine, which is manufactured by the British company GlaxoSmithKline. To date, more than 2.3 million doses of the vaccine have been administered throughout three different African countries, the organization said.