Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Media Briefing: Malaria Vaccines, Trends, and What’s Ahead

The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute hosted a media briefing to assess the latest malaria vaccine rollouts, shifting disease trends, and evolving global health financing. Speakers highlighted that malaria remains endemic in 80 countries, with 280 million cases and 600 000 deaths last year, and that five African nations now account for half of all infections. Recent data show alarming spikes: Namibia’s 2026 cases were 2.5 times 2024’s total, Nigeria recorded over 24 million cases in nine months of 2025, and Mozambique’s cases quadrupled in 2026. Key insights included the emergence of drug‑ and insecticide‑resistance, the rollout of dual‑active ingredient bed nets, and the performance of the two WHO‑approved vaccines—RTS,S (RTS,S/AS01) and R21/Matrix‑M. RTS,S reduces clinical malaria by 39 % after four doses, while R21 achieved higher efficacy in phase‑III trials and received WHO endorsement in 2023. Yet only 25 sub‑Saharan countries have introduced these vaccines, largely funded through Gavi’s discretionary bucket, which faces reduced envelopes after the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative drawdown. Professors Carlton and Moss cited concrete examples: Egypt and Timor‑Leste achieving malaria‑free status in 2025, the successful trial of new bed nets combining pyrethroids with enzyme inhibitors, and innovative approaches such as engineered mosquitoes resistant to infection, seasonal malaria chemoprevention in 20 countries, and repurposed antimalarial drugs. They warned that while no strong evidence yet shows parasites evading current vaccines, the parasite’s genetic diversity could erode efficacy, underscoring the need for multi‑stage vaccine candidates. The briefing underscores that sustained investment and coordinated policy are critical. Without reliable funding, especially for discretionary items like malaria vaccines, high‑burden nations risk backsliding, jeopardizing gains for children under five. Accelerated deployment of new tools and vaccine expansion could avert hundreds of thousands of deaths, but only if global donors and national governments prioritize malaria alongside other childhood immunizations.