Ghana is the first country to approve a new malaria vaccine that has been described as a “world-changer” by the scientists who developed it.

The vaccine – called R21 – appears to be hugely effective, in stark contrast to previous ventures in the same field.

Ghana’s drug regulators have assessed the final trial data on the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness, which is not yet public, and have decided to use it, in children aged between five months to three years old.

The World Health Organization is also considering approving the vaccine.

Malaria kills about 620,000 people each year, most of them young children.