WHO Approves First Malaria Treatment For Infants
The World Health Organisation has announced that it had given prequalification approval to a malaria treatment for newborns and infants for the first time.
The WHO said in a statement that prequalification designation for Artemether-lumefantrine, the first antimalarial formulation designed specifically for the youngest victims of the mosquito-borne disease indicates that the medicine meets international standards of quality, safety and efficacy.
WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus stated that up to now, infants have been treated with formulations intended for older children — carrying a greater risk of dosage errors, side effects and toxicity but that the story is changing with the new vaccines, diagnostic tests, next-generation mosquito nets and effective medicines.
According to the WHO there were an estimated 282 million malaria cases and 610,000 deaths in 80 countries in 2024, with Africa accounting for 95 percent of cases and deaths, with children under five accounting for three-quarters of those deaths.
The WHO said its prequalification would enable public sector procurement and help close a long-standing treatment gap for around 30 million babies born each year in malaria-endemic areas of Africa.
