(By Emmanuella Nzeribe, 13/12/21)
The name malaria comes from mal’aria, which is Italian for “bad air.” Before the development of germ theory in the late 1800s, many people thought the disease was transmitted via miasmas or contaminated air. In 1897, a British physician Ronald Ross made discovered that mosquitoes were the vectors that transmit the disease. Malaria is a preventable disease that is caused by mosquito bites, especially that of the female Anopheles mosquito.
While it is preventable, it is considered a serious disease that can lead to countless deaths if not given the proper attention and treatment. It is essentially caused by the plasmodium parasite which is injected into a human’s blood when bitten by a parasite-carrying mosquito.
The prevalence of malaria in a person’s body is characterized by high fevers, loss of appetite, shaking chills, and headaches. As of 2019, 229 million malaria cases were recorded, out of which 409,000 resulted in death. Malaria is known to be a fatal disease not just for its ability to cause death but also its economy-draining effect.
For decades, scientists and researchers initially zeroed in on the behaviours of the parasite in its sporozoite form upon entry into the blood (known as the pre-erythrocytic stage). It was not until 1987 that a decision was made to develop a vaccine based on certain protein discoveries in the US. Through various scientific efforts and trials, today, three various forms of vaccines are being worked on to help curb the impact of malaria. These include the pre-erythrocytic vaccine candidates, the blood-stage vaccine candidates, and the transmission-blocking vaccine candidates. It was not until the year 2002, that scientists succeeded in P. falciparum genome sequencing which paved way for researchers to make great strides in trying to understand the parasite. However, after over thirty years in development, the first malaria vaccine by GSK in support of other African research centers; to be released is the RTS, S/AS01, or Mosquirix. (Greshko, 2021)
This vaccine has been developed to target the most fatal of the five types of malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum. Beginning from 2019, a pilot program was launched to start a progressive roll-out of the vaccines in Ghana, Malawi, and Kenya. This has seen over 800,000 children receive at least one dose of the vaccine. While the target demographic of the vaccine has been children, clinical trials began with adults before being brought down to children. All of this was done for one major reason; safety. This malaria vaccine is to be provided in a schedule of 4 doses in children from 5 months of age for the reduction of malaria disease and burden. It is important to note that since the inception of the vaccine, a 30% decrease in severe malaria cases has been reported in the vaccinated areas. (WHO, 2021)
As the trials continue, mass public education must be enhanced to encourage the public to partake in the exercise so that this menace of a disease can be effectively controlled, maybe even eliminated once and for all.
Meanwhile, one major step to be looked at after vaccine approval is funding. Adequate funding decisions will ensure the global rollout so that no one is left behind which will be followed by further discussions on advocacy for Governments to adopt the vaccine to be a part of the national malaria control strategies
REFERENCES
1. Greshko, Michael. “‘Historic Moment’: Why the WHO endorsed the First Malaria Vaccine.” Science. National Geographic, October 8, 2021. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/why-the-who-endorsed-the-first-malaria-vaccine-and-what-to-expect-next .
2. Lozano, José Manuel, Zully Rodríguez Parra, Salvador Hernández-Martínez, Maria Fernanda Yasnot-Acosta, Angela Patricia Rojas, Luz Stella Marín-Waldo, and Juan Edilberto Rincón. “The Search of a Malaria Vaccine: The Time for Modified Immuno-Potentiating Probes.” MDPI. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. (2021) https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/9/2/115/htm .
3. World Health Organization. WHO recommends groundbreaking malaria vaccine for children at risk. October 8, 2021. Available at https://www.who.int/news/item/06-10-2021-who-recommends-groundbreaking-malaria-vaccine-for-children-at-risk
