Scientists have developed a new kind of vaccine that can slash malaria incidence by half. The better news? It could be introduced to the world by 2015.

The vaccine—called RTS,S was developed by GlaxoSmithKline. It has shown to halve the cases of malaria among children aged five and seven months. It also managed to cut the number of cases in babies aged 6 to 12 weeks by a quarter.

The vaccine lasted 18 months, and its effectiveness decreased over time. It may sound like a lousy deal, but it could make a whole lot of difference in countries where malaria is rampant. Sir Andrew Witty, chief executive of GSK, explained to the Guardian:
"While we have seen some decline in vaccine efficacy over time, the sheer number of children affected by malaria means that the number of cases of the disease the vaccine can help prevent is impressive."
Here's hoping it will finally eradicate the cases of malaria. [Guardian]