History being made with World's First Vaccine Against Malaria
Mosquitoes are one of the most annoying pests this world has to offer. They whine in your ears, feed on your blood and leave itchy welts.
And if all that wasn't bad enough, they are also carriers/spreaders of disease, one of them being the life threatening Malaria.
Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites that are transmitted through mosquito bites. In 2019, it is estimated that there were 229 million cases of the disease worldwide, and 409,000 deaths caused due to it. Children who are 5 years and under, are most vulnerable to the disease.
The malaria parasite can fool our immune system time and again and not allow it to make antibodies against the disease. It also has a lifecycle that is only half in humans and the rest in the mosquito. That is what made it so hard to make an effective vaccine against it.
Although it is a problem worldwide, a disproportionately large portion of malaria cases happen in Africa.
Thankfully, Malaria is preventable and curable; however many who are affected by it do not have access to the proper services needed to treat it.
But that might change soon. After nearly a century of trying, humanity has finally created a vaccine against malaria.
The vaccine - called RTS,S - is unique not only because it is the first vaccine against malaria, it is the first vaccine that works against a parasite.
The WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "This is a historic moment. The long-awaited malaria vaccine for children is a breakthrough for science, child health and malaria control."
RTS,S was proven to be effective six years ago. It underwent a pilot immunisation programme to test it out in Malawi, Kenya and Ghana.
In the words of the Director-General, this vaccine, "could save tens of thousands of young lives each year."
The BBC reported that the Ghana trial was piloted by Dr. Kwame Amponsa-Achiano, who was in charge of assessing the feasibility of mass-vaccination. The doctor is very familiar with malaria, having contracted it many times when he was a child.
He told the BBC, "It is quite an exciting moment for us; with large scale vaccination I believe the malaria toll will be reduced to the barest minimum."
The pilot studies have provided the WHO with the following findings.
- Delivery of the vaccine is feasible, even in the context of the pandemic.
- It has a strong safety profile, with over 2.3 million doses given to date across three African countries.
- It is cost effective.
- It shows a 30% reduction in severe malaria cases.
- There has been no impact on other health seeking behaviours among families who have been vaccinated, including using bednets, other vaccines for children, or health visits for febrile illness.
There is a downside however. Unlike most childhood vaccines, RTS,S requires a series of four shots given to children from the age of five months. And it is 40% effective, after all 4 doses.
Also, the vaccine won't be used outside of Africa, as there are different variants of the parasite that the vaccine cannot protect against. It is only effective against Plasmodium falciparum as of now.
Despite this, it is a cause for celebration as this is an important first step towards saving the lives of many from Malaria.
The vaccine was developed by the pharmaceutical company GSK, and is the result of 30 years of work. Funding for its development was provided by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation between 2001 and 2015.
Mosquitoes are one of the most annoying pests this world has to offer. They whine in your ears, feed on your blood and leave itchy welts.
And if all that wasn't bad enough, they are also carriers/spreaders of disease, one of them being the life threatening Malaria.
Malaria is caused by Plasmodium...
Mosquitoes are one of the most annoying pests this world has to offer. They whine in your ears, feed on your blood and leave itchy welts.
And if all that wasn't bad enough, they are also carriers/spreaders of disease, one of them being the life threatening Malaria.
Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites that are transmitted through mosquito bites. In 2019, it is estimated that there were 229 million cases of the disease worldwide, and 409,000 deaths caused due to it. Children who are 5 years and under, are most vulnerable to the disease.
The malaria parasite can fool our immune system time and again and not allow it to make antibodies against the disease. It also has a lifecycle that is only half in humans and the rest in the mosquito. That is what made it so hard to make an effective vaccine against it.
Although it is a problem worldwide, a disproportionately large portion of malaria cases happen in Africa.
Thankfully, Malaria is preventable and curable; however many who are affected by it do not have access to the proper services needed to treat it.
But that might change soon. After nearly a century of trying, humanity has finally created a vaccine against malaria.
The vaccine - called RTS,S - is unique not only because it is the first vaccine against malaria, it is the first vaccine that works against a parasite.
The WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "This is a historic moment. The long-awaited malaria vaccine for children is a breakthrough for science, child health and malaria control."
RTS,S was proven to be effective six years ago. It underwent a pilot immunisation programme to test it out in Malawi, Kenya and Ghana.
In the words of the Director-General, this vaccine, "could save tens of thousands of young lives each year."
The BBC reported that the Ghana trial was piloted by Dr. Kwame Amponsa-Achiano, who was in charge of assessing the feasibility of mass-vaccination. The doctor is very familiar with malaria, having contracted it many times when he was a child.
He told the BBC, "It is quite an exciting moment for us; with large scale vaccination I believe the malaria toll will be reduced to the barest minimum."
The pilot studies have provided the WHO with the following findings.
- Delivery of the vaccine is feasible, even in the context of the pandemic.
- It has a strong safety profile, with over 2.3 million doses given to date across three African countries.
- It is cost effective.
- It shows a 30% reduction in severe malaria cases.
- There has been no impact on other health seeking behaviours among families who have been vaccinated, including using bednets, other vaccines for children, or health visits for febrile illness.
There is a downside however. Unlike most childhood vaccines, RTS,S requires a series of four shots given to children from the age of five months. And it is 40% effective, after all 4 doses.
Also, the vaccine won't be used outside of Africa, as there are different variants of the parasite that the vaccine cannot protect against. It is only effective against Plasmodium falciparum as of now.
Despite this, it is a cause for celebration as this is an important first step towards saving the lives of many from Malaria.
The vaccine was developed by the pharmaceutical company GSK, and is the result of 30 years of work. Funding for its development was provided by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation between 2001 and 2015.
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