An observational study in Malaria and Malaria Vaccines, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline. Completed at 6 sites in 3 countries. Open to participants aged Up to 5 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-03-02.
Sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline · Observational
The RTS, S/AS01E vaccine was developed to protect children in sub-Saharan Africa from malaria as part of routine immunization programs. This study aims to check the vaccine's safety after it has been introduced. Along with safety, researchers will also assess how well the vaccine works and its overall impact on children's health.
This is a disease surveillance study with prospective cohort event monitoring including both temporal and concurrent comparisons of the occurrence of adverse and malaria events between vaccinated and unvaccinated subjects living in exposed or unexposed clusters located in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries, and eligible for RTS,S/AS01E vaccination for those living in the exposed clusters. The design includes active surveillance and enhanced hospitalization surveillance in both exposed and unexposed clusters.
The study targeted enrolling at least 45,000 children in active surveillance, including 22,500 in the exposed clusters and 22,500 in the unexposed clusters for evaluation of the vaccine safety, effectiveness, and impact.
All data analyses will be computed in a descriptive manner. Data regarding the hospitalization will be uniformly collected whether the child is enrolled in active surveillance or in enhanced hospitalization surveillance.
1,299 studies on the registry are indexed under Malaria; 86 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 77,953 is above the median of 600 across 218 observational studies indexed under Malaria.
Browse Malaria studies →GlaxoSmithKline is the lead sponsor of 3,562 studies on the registry; 117 are open to participants now.
Of its 258 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 232 (90%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
The target population for the introduction of the RTS,S/AS01E vaccine are children living in the SSA.
All study participants must satisfy ALL the following criteria at study entry:
OR For enrolment in the enhanced hospitalisation surveillance: children must be aged at least 6 weeks and \<5 years at the time of hospitalisation at any time during the study. (This group will include children from exposed and unexposed clusters.) Parents/LARs of children meeting all eligibility criteria for active surveillance, not having completed the visits for DTP/HepB/Hib, and first identified during hospitalisation, must first be proposed enrolment in active surveillance (if recruitment is not completed).
Children already enrolled in active surveillance will have hospitalization monitored as part of the procedures related to the active surveillance and can therefore not be enrolled in enhanced hospitalization surveillance.
Exclusion Criteria:
Children enrolled in the active surveillance (AS), \<18 months of age who were identified at any administration of DTP/HepB/Hib (usually given at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age) or at hospitalisation before administration of 3rd dose of DTP/HepB/Hib and vaccinated with at least one dose of DTP/HepB/Hib; including both RTS,S/AS01E vaccinated and unvaccinated children (from exposed or unexposed clusters), living in the HDSS area are eligible for enrolment in the DTP sub-group of active surveillance.
Procedure: Whole blood sample
Children enrolled in the active surveillance (AS), \<18 months of age who were identified at 1st RTS,S/AS01E dose administration and who either received all DTP/HepB/Hib doses before study start or received at least one dose of DTP/HepB/Hib and are older than the age corresponding to the 3rd DTP/HepB/Hib dose at study start; including only RTS,S/AS01E vaccinated children from exposed clusters who could not be recruited at the time of DTP/HepB/Hib administration because the study had not yet started, living in the HDSS area are eligible for enrolment in the Catch-up sub-group of active surveillance.
Procedure: Whole blood sample
Children at least 6 weeks and \<5 years of age, within the study areas in both exposed and unexposed clusters, not already enrolled in the active surveillance (because parents/ Legally Acceptable Representative (LARs) declined enrolment in active surveillance or because recruitment had been completed) or not eligible for active surveillance at the time of hospitalisation, living in the HDSS area are eligible for enrolment in the Enhanced Hospital Surveillance (EHS) group.
Procedure: Whole blood sample
Whole blood samples will be collected from all enrolled children hospitalised and suspected of having an AESI or meningitis.
Incidence rates of adverse events of special interest (AESI)
AESI are predefined list of adverse events that have historically been associated with vaccines other than RTS,S/AS01E, or may hypothetically be associated with RTS,S/AS01E due to the fact that this vaccine has components which are new compared to current widely used vaccines. The incidence rate will be calculated by dividing the number of study participants reporting at least one event over the follow-up period by the total person-time. The person-time for an event of interest will be calculated as the time between the reference date (date of first RTS,S/AS01E vaccination for the vaccinated study participants and virtual vaccination corresponding to the week before first visit for the unvaccinated study participants) and the end of the at-risk period or the earliest of the followings: Date of first diagnosis of event of interest, Date of end of study period, Date when child reaches 5 years, Date of last contact or Date of death.
Time frame: During the entire study period (From Day 0 up to Month 62)
Incidence rates of aetiology-confirmed meningitis
Incidence rate of aetiology confirmed meningitis is analyzed with an at-risk period of 12 months. At the site level, a suspected meningitis case based on clinical symptoms and/or signs is defined as: * A child with sudden onset of fever (\> 38.0°C rectal or 37.5°C axillary) and one or more of the following signs: neck stiffness, altered consciousness with no other alternative diagnosis, or other meningeal sign such as bulging fontanelle in children under one year of age. If a Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample is available and any known aetiologic agent (bacterial or not) has been identified, it is defined as an aetiology confirmed meningitis. The incidence rate will be calculated by dividing the number of study participants reporting at least one event over the follow-up period by the total person-time.
Time frame: During the entire study period (From Day 0 up to Month 62)
Incidence rate of probable meningitis (final classification)
At the site level, a suspected probable meningitis case based on clinical symptoms and/or signs is defined by the below characteristics: CSF sample is available, no bacterial agent has been identified in the CSF, but some abnormalities in the CSF have been detected (such as turbid macroscopic aspect, positive Gram, positive antigen test, pleiocytosis, abnormal glucose or protein levels) or positive blood culture to a bacterial agent. The incidence rate will be calculated by dividing the number of study participants reporting at least one event over the follow-up period by the total person-time.
Time frame: During the entire study period (From Day 0 up to Month 62)
Incidence rates of clinically suspected meningitis (final classification)
At the site level, a clinically suspected meningitis case based on clinical symptoms and/or signs is defined by the below characteristics: * If a CSF sample is available and all examinations are normal at first line laboratory level, or if no CSF sample is available and no alternative diagnosis. The incidence rate will be calculated by dividing the number of study participants reporting at least one event over the follow-up period by the total person-time.
Time frame: During the entire study period (From Day 0 up to Month 62)
Number of meningitis cases identified at site level (first line laboratory)
At the site level, a suspected meningitis case based on clinical symptoms and/or signs is defined as: * A child with sudden onset of fever (\> 38.0°C rectal or 37.5°C axillary) and one or more of the following signs: neck stiffness, altered consciousness with no other alternative diagnosis, or other meningeal sign such as bulging fontanelle in children under one year of age.
Time frame: During the entire study period (From Day 0 up to Month 62)
Incidence rates of cerebral malaria (diagnosed by Rapid Diagnostic Test [RDT] and/or microscopy)
Cerebral malaria is defined as: * Severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria with impaired consciousness (Glasgow coma score \< 11 in children ≥ 2 years of age or Blantyre coma score \< 3 in children \< 2 years of age); And, * If malaria with seizure: coma persisting for \> 30 min after the seizure. * Other treatable causes of coma should be excluded before diagnosing cerebral malaria (e.g. hypoglycaemia, bacterial meningitis). Suspected malaria cases routinely tested using RDT will have a blood smear for reading by microscopy in parallel, in order to measure sensitivity and specificity. This is done for all suspected cases presenting at primary health care facilities one day per month during the first year of the study. The incidence rate will be calculated by dividing the number of study participants reporting at least one event over the follow-up period by the total person-time.
Time frame: During the entire study period (From Day 0 up to Month 62)
Incidence rates of malaria episodes diagnosed by RDT and/or microscopy
Any malaria is uncomplicated malaria (i.e. Plasmodium parasitaemia \>0 detected by microscopy and/or RDT, presence of fever (≥37.5°C) reported by parent(s)/LARs or recorded at time of presentation and without severity signs or vital organ dysfunction) and severe malaria (SM) (i.e. P. falciparum parasitaemia \>0 detected by microscopy and/or RDT, one/more of the following: impaired consciousness, prostration, multiple convulsions, acidosis, hypoglycemia, severe malarial anemia, renal impairment, jaundice, pulmonary oedema, significant bleeding, shock, hyperparasitemia). Severe vivax malaria is SM but with no parasite density thresholds. Cerebral malaria is SM with impaired consciousness with the exclusion of other treatable causes of coma. The incidence rate will be calculated by dividing the number of subjects reporting at least one event over the follow-up period by the total person-time.
Time frame: During the entire study period (From Day 0 up to Month 62)
Incidence rates of anaemia cases at hospital entry among hospitalised children
This outcome measure is assessed for children included only in active surveillance. Anaemia is defined as: * All anaemia: haemoglobin \<11 (grams per decilitre) g/dL. * Severe anaemia: haemoglobin \<7g/dL. The incidence rate will be calculated by dividing the number of study participants reporting at least one event over the follow-up period by the total person-time.
Time frame: During the entire study period (From Day 0 up to Month 62)
Incidence rates of hospitalisation cases
Hospitalisation is defined as: All causes and hospitalisations for any malaria (including P. falciparum malaria), severe malaria (including P. falciparum malaria) and cerebral malaria. A hospitalised study participant with malaria (including P. falciparum malaria) and for whom malaria is the primary cause of hospitalisation. This outcome measure is assessed for children included only in active surveillance. The incidence rate will be calculated by dividing the number of study participants reporting at least one event over the follow-up period by the total person-time.
Time frame: During the entire study period (From Day 0 up to month 62)
Number of deaths
Death is defined as: * Malaria attributed death (including P. falciparum malaria) defined as a fatality for which malaria (including P. falciparum malaria) is listed as a contributing cause of death, based on either verbal autopsy using the INDEPTH Standard Verbal Autopsy Questionnaire for children, who died at home or medical judgment/medical records for children who died at a primary health care facility or hospital. * Deaths attributed to an AE defined as a fatality for which an AE is listed as a contributing cause of death, based on either verbal autopsy using the INDEPTH Standard Verbal Autopsy Questionnaire for children, who died at home or medical judgment/medical records for children who died at a primary health care facility or hospital. The incidence rate (mortality rate) will be calculated by dividing the number of study participants reporting at least one event over the follow-up period by the total person-time.
Time frame: During the entire study period (From Day 0 up to month 62)
Plan to share: No
This study is completed, as verified in Feb 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
GlaxoSmithKline