The first malaria vaccine in the world is about to be tested in Malawi. The vaccine is meant to give partial protection to children.
What the vaccine does is train the immune system to attack the malaria parasite. During previous trials the vaccine has showed potential, giving protection from malaria for nearly 40% of those vaccinated during the age of 5 to 17 months.
In 2017 there were 435 000 deaths caused by malaria around the world, most of them in Africa. In total there are 219 million people infected with around 5 million new cases in 2017. And these numbers are just the confirmed cases. Most likely there are more.
The vaccine, RTS,S, has been in the making around three decades now and is the first one of its kind that has actually shown any real results. Mary Hamel from the World Health Organization said that "This vaccine getting to where it is shows that a malaria vaccine can be made. It will be a pathfinder."
What the vaccine does is train the immune system to attack the malaria parasite. During previous trials the vaccine has showed potential, giving protection from malaria for nearly 40% of those vaccinated during the age of 5 to 17 months.
In 2017 there were 435 000 deaths caused by malaria around the world, most of them in Africa. In total there are 219 million people infected with around 5 million new cases in 2017. And these numbers are just the confirmed cases. Most likely there are more.
The vaccine, RTS,S, has been in the making around three decades now and is the first one of its kind that has actually shown any real results. Mary Hamel from the World Health Organization said that "This vaccine getting to where it is shows that a malaria vaccine can be made. It will be a pathfinder."
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