Malaria has long been a global scourge, killing some 500,000 people a year, more than half of them children under 5. But that may be about to change, thanks to the introduction of a malaria vaccine—the first vaccine ever against a parasitic infection. The shot has been in the works since 1987, at a cost of more than $750 million, mostly funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and GlaxoSmithKline. Dubbed Mosquirix, it was recommended for approval by the World Health Organization in October, after a field trial involving 800,000 children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. The four-dose regimen was found to cut the risk of infection by 40% and the risk of severe infection by 30%. —Jeffrey Kluger
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Essay: The Tyre Nichols Videos Demand Solemnity, Not Sensationalism
- For People With Disabilities, Losing Abortion Access Can Be a Matter of Life or Death
- Inside the Stealth Efforts to Smuggle Starlink Internet Into Iran
- Natasha Lyonne on Poker Face and Creating Characters Who Subvert Leading-Lady Tropes
- How to Help the Victims and Community After the Monterey Park Shooting
- Why Grocery Staples Are So Expensive Right Now
- Quantum Computers Could Solve Countless Problems—and Create a Lot of New Ones
- Where to Watch All of the 2023 Oscar Nominees
- How to Be Mindful if You Hate Meditating
