The sometimes fatal illness is caused by a mosquito that has been infected by a parasite. Pregnant women and young children are most at risk.

Research paper reviews the efficacy of the first licensed malaria vaccines, RTS,S and R21, highlighting their potential to significantly reduce childhood mortality and discussing future vaccine development strategies.

Babies in the Ivory Coast and South Sudan will begin receiving doses of the world's first affordable malaria vaccine from today. R21, approved for children under three, costs around $4 a dose and is up to 79% effective at preventing the disease.

A new high efficacy malaria vaccine co-developed by the Serum Institute of India (SII) and the University of Oxford was officially rolled out on Monday when Cote d'Ivoire in West Africa became the first country to begin administering R21/Matrix-M.