Early Clinical Trials of New Malaria Vaccine Show Strong Protection Against Disease

A new type of malaria vaccine is showing promise in early studies.  

The vaccine combines live malaria parasites and antimalarial drugs to produce immunity without causing disease. If larger-scale trials continue to show success, the vaccine could eventually help to reduce the 200 million-plus malaria cases recorded every year.  Malaria, a disease caused by parasites that are spread by mosquitoes, kills over 400,000 people a year. Although the World Health Organization estimates that almost half the world's population is at risk of contracting malaria, most cases and deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa and in children under age 5. The symptoms associated with malaria are typically flu-like and, if left untreated, can lead to organ failure and death.  Despite the facts that the disease is treatable with drugs and preventable with insecticide-treated bed nets, the decline of cases has stalled in the past few years. One vaccine with limited effectiveness is undergoing a pilot program while another is in later-stage trials, but none is in widespread use yet.