The Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome-Trust Clinical Research Programme (MLW has embarked on a study called “Pneumococcal Carriage in Vulnerable Populations in Africa” (PCVPA) which aims at improving pneumonia vaccines for Malawi and in some parts of Africa.

The pneumonia vaccine, called PCV13, has been given to newborns in Malawi since November 2011. This vaccine prevents disease caused by a germ called the pneumococcus which is found in the nose of many healthy people without causing any problem but in a small number of people this germ can cause pneumonia and meningitis.