Abstract

Have you ever heard of malaria? It’s a serious disease spread by mosquito bites and affects millions of people each year. Scientists have developed vaccines to help stop malaria. The new R21 vaccine looks very promising. We tested it on 5,139 kids in Africa to see if it works and if it’s safe.

We found that the vaccine worked really well. It prevented 73% of malaria cases overall. It worked best for younger kids, stopping 78% of cases. Moreover, most side effects were mild, like a sore arm or a fever, and serious problems were rare.

This vaccine could help save many lives if used more widely in places where malaria is common.