CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -LONDON, April 13 (Reuters)-Ghana has become the first country in the world to approve a new malaria vaccine from Oxford University, a potential step forward in fighting a disease that kills hundreds of thousands of children each year.

Detailed explanation-2: -In 2019, Ghana joined Malawi and Kenya to launch the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme. Part of a multi-pronged strategy to prevent malaria-related disease and deaths in the country, it targeted children for vaccination in 42 districts across seven regions.

Detailed explanation-3: -The R21/Matrix-M vaccine was initially designed and developed at the University of Oxford and has undergone clinical trials in the UK, Thailand, and several African countries, including an ongoing phase III trial in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali and Tanzania that has enrolled 4, 800 children.

Detailed explanation-4: -RTS, S/AS01, trade name Mosquirix, is an injectable vaccine targeting P. falciparum, the most prevalent malaria strain in Africa. It is the first and only vaccine to show partial protection in young children. It was developed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline in 1987.