90 percent, from less than 70 percent, Mary Hamel, M.D., head of the WHO malaria vaccine implementation program, tells The Times.
Last year, a modeling study estimated that the use of the vaccine in countries with the highest incidence of malaria could prevent 5.4 million cases and 23,000 deaths in children younger than 5 years each year, according to The Times.
Another recent trial assessed how well a combination of the vaccine and preventive drugs protected children during high malaria transmission seasons.
This dual approach was found to be much more effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization, and death than either method alone.
The vaccine — the first for any parasitic disease — triggers the immune system to target Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest of five malaria pathogens and the most common one in Africa.
Later this year, the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is expected to consider financing a broader rollout of the vaccine across Africa.
If Gavi also approves the vaccine, it will buy the vaccine for countries that request it.
That process is likely to take at least a year, The Times reports.