Malaria is a common disease in Africa and South East Asia. Malaria kills almost 1 million people a year. There are 4 species of Plasmodia that cause human malaria. Plasmodia falciparum is the species capable of causing deadly infections. Therefore, prevention of falciparum malaria is of the utmost importance.
Many vaccines are under development, but one new vaccine called RTS,S is the most promising, according to a New England Journal of Medicine publication on Dec. 8. Philip Bejon, of the KEMRI and the Centre for Tropical Medicine at the University of Oxford, said that an application for a license for RTS,S as a malaria vaccine would be expected.
The vaccine study was funded by a grant from Melinda Gates Foundation and drug maker GlaxoSmithKline.
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