Home » Finally, here is the malaria vaccine

Finally, here is the malaria vaccine

by admin

Not only Covid vaccine (here the effectiveness after 7 months and all available data). Historical news, which could change the future of entire generations forever. L’World Health Organization has finally found the malaria vaccine. Malaria remains a leading cause of childhood illness and death in sub-Saharan Africa. More than 260,000 African children under the age of 5 die of malaria every year.

In recent years, WHO and its partners have repeatedly reported a worrying phase of stagnation in the search for solutions to this deadly disease. “For centuries, malaria has haunted sub-Saharan Africa, causing immense personal suffering,” said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa.

The malaria vaccine is the the result of 30 years of GSK research and development and was created through a partnership with PATH, with the support of a network of African research centers. “We have long hoped for an effective vaccine and now, for the first time ever, we have a vaccine recommended for widespread use.”

Malaria: what we know

Where is it widespread

Malaria is the most widespread of all parasites. Its current diffusion mainly concerns theAfrica subsahariana, the tropical areas of South America and Asia, but it also sporadically affects the USA and other industrialized countries, where clinical cases of the disease may appear following the movement of people who contract the disease to areas where it is endemic.

40% of the world population lives in areas where malaria is endemic, located in tropical and subtropical areas and at an altitude of less than 1,800 meters. Every year between 10,000 and 30,000 European and American travelers fall ill with malaria.

See also  "The void of public intervention covered with increasing use of private healthcare"

Symptoms

The classic course of symptoms in malaria basically predicts 3 stages:

  • thermal fluctuations: sudden chills for 1-2 hours, which occur when the body temperature rises
  • stiffness and fever: even if the person does not feel the sensation of heat, but rather feels well-being, the fever can exceed 40 degrees for 2-7 hours
  • excessive sweating: for 2 to 3 hours, when the temperature drops.

The cycle, which almost never observes regular intervals, it lasts from 4 to 6 hours and is repeated every 2 or 3 days.

P. falciparum may present with recurrent and high fever every 36-48 hours or a less pronounced and almost continuous fever. For reasons still unknown, children with malaria display abnormal posture, a sign that indicates very severe brain damage.

Severe malaria can progress extremely fast and cause death within hours or days. Here are the main symptoms:

  • fever (main symptom of the disease): if no therapy is adopted and does not develop in severe forms, malaria first seems to heal spontaneously and then develops again episodes of fever that remain intermittent and last for 3-4 months
  • epatosplenomegalia: simultaneous enlargement of the liver and spleen
  • epatomegaly: increase in the volume of the liver, present in almost all the people involved
  • tachycardia
  • delirium.

Malaria vaccine: how it works

This malaria vaccine works against Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite globally and the most prevalent in Africa. The vectors are mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles.

Using this vaccine in addition to existing tools to prevent malaria could save tens of thousands of very young lives every year. For this reason the‘WHO has recommended the widespread use of the malaria vaccine called RTS, S / AS01 among children in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions with moderate to high malaria transmission.

See also  Not just money: good policies are also evaluated for their impact on health

“This is a historic moment. The long-awaited malaria vaccine for children is a breakthrough in science, children’s health and malaria control, ”said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The recommendation is based on the results of a pilot program underway in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi which has reached more than 800 thousand children since 2019. The results come from the observation of data and insights on two years of vaccination of children in the three pilot countries.

Malaria vaccine, who finances it

The malaria vaccine implementation program is coordinated by WHO and supported by national and international partners, including PATH, UNICEF and GSK, who are donating up to 10 million doses of the vaccine for the pilot project.

Funding for the pilot program was mobilized through an unprecedented collaboration between three major global health funding bodies: Gavi, Vaccine Alliance; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; e Unitaid.

Also there Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provided catalytic funding for the late stage development of RTS, S between 2001 and 2015.

The pilot program will continue in the 3 pilot countries to understand the added value of the fourth dose and to measure the long-term impact on infant deaths.

Malaria vaccine, what effects

The introduction of the vaccine has been shown that improves health and saves lives, with good coverage. This was also observed during the Covid pandemic.

The vaccine increased equity in access to malaria prevention. Data from the pilot program showed that more than two thirds of children in the 3 countries who do not sleep under a mosquito net are benefiting from the RTS, S vaccine.

See also  Losing weight without a diet is possible: a few small but important tricks are enough

Over 90% of children benefit from at least one preventive intervention, which ranges from insecticide-treated mosquito nets to vaccines. In areas where the vaccine has been introduced, there has been no decrease in the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, in the adoption of other childhood vaccinations, or in health-seeking behavior for febrile illnesses.

The vaccine shows a “Strong safety profile”: to date, more than 2.3 million doses have been administered in the 3 African countries.

The big result is the high impact of this vaccine on real life: in fact, one has been observed a significant 30% reduction in severe and fatal malaria, although introduced in areas where insecticide-treated mosquito nets are widely used and there is a good access system to diagnosis and treatment.

The Organization specifically recommends that, in the context of comprehensive malaria control, the RTS, S / AS01 malarial vaccine be used for prevention in children living in regions with moderate to high transmission. The vaccine should be administered in 4 doses in children from 5 months of age for the reduction of disease and virus load.

Another big plus is that this malarial vaccine is particularly convenient because it is inexpensive.

Now the next steps for the WHO recommended malaria vaccine are about the decisions that will need to be made regarding funding for wider implementation and national decision making on vaccine adoption as part of national control strategies. illness.

.

You may also like

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More

Privacy & Cookies Policy