Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Historic go-ahead for malaria vaccine to protect African children
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Though it is preventable and curable, over 400,000 people, most of who were in Africa, died of Malaria in 2019 alone. Sadly, children under five years old are the most vulnerable to the disease, accounting for two-thirds of the total deaths. Once a non-immune person is bitten by a parasite, symptoms such as fever, headache, and chills appear within two weeks. If not treated swiftly, malaria can progress to severe illness and could lead to death. To prevent and reduce malaria transmission, vector control, any method to limit or eradicate mosquitoes that transmit disease pathogens, is the main way because it takes years of being repeatedly infected to build up effective immunity, which only reduces the chances of becoming severely ill.
Now, after more than a century of trials, the malaria vaccine is ready to be rolled out across sub-Saharan Africa and other regions where there are high malaria transmissions. The World Health Organization says it is a breakthrough for science, child health, and malaria control. Because of the complexity of malaria, the vaccine has limited efficacy and requires multiple doses over an 18-month period. Therefore, other means to prevent infections like bed nets mustn’t be neglected, just like wearing a facemask even after getting vaccinated for Covid-19.
Read the article and learn about this historic medical and health achievement.
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-58810551
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