Recent developments in the global fight against malaria have brought renewed focus to vaccine initiatives and broader public health efforts. On November 10, Angola’s Ministry of Health announced its intention to introduce a malaria vaccine in 2026, marking a significant milestone in the country’s strategy to curb the disease. Health Minister Silvia Lutucuta stated, as reported by Prensa Latina, that the vaccine represents a highly effective and safe tool and could be either the RTS,S (Mosquirix) or R21/Matrix-M, both approved by the World Health Organization. These vaccines are administered in a four-dose schedule for children. Angola is preparing not only the logistics for nationwide vaccine rollout but also efforts to strengthen epidemiological surveillance, laboratory capacity, and the health system overall. The Ministry highlighted the importance of multi-sector strategies, including improvements in sanitation and health education, as essential complements to vaccination.

These actions follow a year of success in Angola, where early detection and better treatment have already reduced malaria cases from about 10 million in 2024 to 6.9 million in the first half of 2025. In anticipation of the vaccination campaign, Angola plans to expand laboratory capacity to 12 provinces and establish Public Health Emergency Operations Centers by mid-2026 to enhance preparedness and response capabilities.

At the same time, vaccine research is advancing at the international level. The University of Oxford, in partnership with ReciBioPharm Advanced Bio, has announced the extension of their collaboration to manufacture two novel blood-stage malaria vaccine candidates, identified as R78C and RH5.1, which will proceed to phase I/II clinical trials. According to The Medicine Maker, these candidates have already shown strong results in preclinical models, including excellent safety profiles and significant immune responses in early human trials. The goal of these candidates is to block the malaria parasite’s invasion of red blood cells, potentially reducing disease severity.

The specialists at ReciBioPharm point out that malaria vaccine development remains uniquely complex due to the parasite’s intricate lifecycle and ability to change forms, unlike most pathogens targeted by other vaccines. Such complexity has slowed progress, but recent candidates offer hope for more broadly effective second-generation vaccines and highlight the need for ongoing investment and innovation in vaccine science. By 2028, Oxford and ReciBioPharm aim to gather robust clinical data in Africa to support further trials and progress toward wider availability.

Further, the importance of these advancements is underscored by the World Health Organization’s data cited in The Medicine Maker: in 2022, malaria caused approximately 249 million cases and 608,000 deaths globally, with children under five in sub-Saharan Africa bearing the greatest burden.

The regional focus remains just as urgent in the Americas. On November 6, the Pan American Health Organization marked Malaria Day urging countries to address gaps in both diagnosis and treatment, emphasizing the central role of health workers and the need for continued attention to all aspects of malaria control—from prevention to rapid response.

Together, these recent announcements illustrate a multi-pronged approach: scaling up vaccination, strengthening health systems, pushing the boundaries of vaccine development, and addressing socio-economic determinants of malaria. With large-scale clinical trials, targeted delivery systems, and global investment, the race toward a more effective and widely accessible malaria vaccine is accelerating, holding promise for a significant impact on one of the world’s most persistent public health challenges.

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI