One Step Closer To Malaria Vaccine

Trials on first ever malaria vaccine has been successful.

20:43 10 May 2016

The World Health Organisation estimates there were 198 million cases of malaria worldwide in 2013, making it the world’s biggest killer. This is expected to significantly drop as the world’s first ever vaccine against the mosquito-borne infectious disease has been proven successful in human trials.

 

The revolutionary vaccine protects adults from infection for more than one year and ensures that they could not further transmit it. The vaccine, which involves live but weakened Plasmodium falciparum – one of the parasites that cause malaria in humans, is given intravenously rather than by injection.

 

Associate Professor Dr Kirsten Lyke said: "There results are really important.

 

"Malaria has such a devastating effect on children, especially in Africa.

 

"This vaccine has the potential to help travellers, military personnel and children living in malaria-endemic areas."

 

The vaccine was developed and produced by Sanaria Inc, of Rockville, Maryland with the support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Meanwhile, the study was published in the journal Natural Medicine.