Five Years Later: What Has RTS,S Malaria Vaccine Changed in Ghana?

Five years after Ghana became one of the first countries to introduce the RTS,S malaria vaccine through routine immunization, journalist Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman will report from communities in Ghana to examine what the vaccine has meant for children and families.

This project will follow families whose children have received the vaccine, as well as health workers responsible for delivering it, documenting their experiences and the practical realities of incorporating a new malaria prevention tool into routine childhood immunization. It will explore whether the vaccine is reaching the children who need it, how parents and health workers understand its benefits and limitations, and what challenges remain in delivering it consistently.

The reporting will place these experiences alongside the scientific evidence on RTS,S. Dini-Osman will speak with malaria researchers to examine what studies from Ghana and other African countries show about the vaccine’s effectiveness and its potential contribution to reducing malaria-related illness and deaths.

The project will also examine the broader financing challenge facing malaria control. As international development assistance changes and global health funding comes under pressure, Ridwan will investigate whether reductions in external support are affecting the systems needed to distribute vaccines and sustain malaria prevention efforts in Ghana.

Through on-the-ground reporting, personal stories and expert analysis, the project will connect Ghana’s experience with the wider African effort to expand malaria vaccination while confronting the question of how these gains can be sustained.