Although dramatic progress was made in malaria control and elimination during the period 2000–2015, progress has stalled in recent years. Now more than ever, new tools are needed to reignite the fight against malaria and achieve global control and elimination targets. As for other infectious diseases, vaccines have the potential to impact burden in a cost-effective way and may, in the long term, contribute to the goal of malaria eradication. 

In October 2021, in a landmark in the history of malaria control, the WHO recommended that the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine be used for the prevention of P. falciparum malaria in children living in regions with moderate to high transmission. While RTS,S/AS01 has the potential to deliver substantial public health impact, second generation and future malaria vaccines able to provide higher levels of protection and reduce transmission are highly desirable. The development of malaria vaccines requires the vigorous and sustained engagement of many stakeholders. Recent advances in the understanding of malaria parasite biology, vaccinology and passive immunization approaches, suggest that the next advance in malaria vaccines is within reach, but only with sustained research and development efforts.

In 2013, the WHO issued a Malaria Vaccine Technical Roadmap and published Preferred Product Characteristics for malaria vaccines in 2014. In July 2019, MALVAC reconvened with the aim of updating this technical guidance and held a malaria vaccine stakeholder meeting with participants from academia, industry, public health agencies, funding bodies and regulatory authorities, to review the state-of-the-art in malaria vaccine development, and to inform MALVAC’s subsequent deliberations.