Johns Hopkins Mosquito Minute

For decades, scientists pursued one goal: a vaccine that could prevent the disease. But malaria is caused by a complex parasite, making vaccine development far more challenging than for most infectious diseases. One scientist dedicated his career to this challenge. Sir Adrian Hill of the University of Oxford witnessed children dying from malaria in Gambia in the late 1980s and set out to develop a vaccine that could save lives where it was needed most. For this work, he received the European Inventor Award in July, 2026 – one of the most prestigious science prizes in the world. The R21/Matrix-M vaccine, recommended by the WHO in 2023, is now rolling out across Africa at less than three pounds per dose – raising hopes that one day malaria could be eliminated altogether. In this edition of the Mosquito Minute, host Chris Smith speaks with Sir Adrian.

Chris talks with Dr. Justin Boddey from Melbourne's WEHI about a promising new way to halt malaria, and make people immune at the same time.

Host Chris Smith speaks with Andrea Manica, an evolutionary ecologist at the University of Cambridge, about what our ancient ancestors can teach us about grappling with malaria.

Chris speaks with Sonia Shah, author of The Fever, about the history of malaria and human efforts to control it.

Why the continent accounts for the overwhelming majority of cases.