New malaria vaccine successful, to go for trial in 2008

NI Wire

New Delhi

Fri, 19 Oct 2007: 

Oct 19 : Sir, Ronald Ross, an Indian born, English physician won noble prize in 1902, for discovering the malarial parasite in the gastrointestinal tract of the Anopheles mosquito, which led to the confirmation that malaria was tranitted by Anopheles, thus laid the foundation for combating the disease.

In 1948, Paul Muller was awarded Nobel Prize for in Physiology or Medicine as he was the first to discover the ability of DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) to control insects. Its major accomplishment was that it killed malaria spreading mosquito in Greece and other country. Even World Health Organisation said that DDT helped save the lives of millions of people.

But soon it was realised that the use of DDT has more harmful effect than doing any good, the mosquito which survived DDT spray become resistance to it.

It’s been more then hundred years now since Sir Ronal Ross laid the foundation, we are still fighting this one of the deadliest disease.

New Promises

New Vaccine for malaria rouses hope which will become a reality. Scientist on Wednesday announced that trial of a new vaccine RTS, S/AS02D had successfully cut the risk of infection in African Children.

The vaccine is made by fusing outer protein of the Plasmodium falciparum strain with hepatitis virus and a chemical booster.

The study was published in the prestigious medical journal ‘The Lancet’.

The new malaria vaccine known as RTS, S/AS02D was assessed for its safety, efficiency, immunogenicity, and initial efficacy of the malaria vaccine RTS, S/AS02D in infants in Africa.

The results were encouraging and were achieved with as much as 65% reduction in risk of new infection in vaccinated newborn, the study says.

During the research, more than 200 newborns of 10 and 18 weeks were given a full three dose of RTS, S/AS02D vaccine.

The children were from rural area in southern Mozambique, Africa. Among these newborns, 62% fewer new cases of the disease were seen. And it was also observed that 35% less cases of malarial disease in those newborns who received at least one dose.

An earlier study showed RTS, S/AS02D vaccine was safe and tolerated.

Another study with same vaccine will be carried next year to further investigate the safety and effectiveness of this vaccine. This study will involve seven countries in Africa and more than 15,000 children.

Malaria has become a global problem; annually it affects half a billion of people across the world. Every year about 2-3 million people succumb to this disease.

It is an infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites known as Plasmodium. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa.

Female mosquitoes transmit malaria parasites. Malaria symptoms include headaches, rigors, sweating, tiredness, light headedness, shortness of breath, fever, vomiting, nausea etc.