Promising New Malaria Vaccine

Malaria is a disease caused by the protozoan parasite that kills over one million people every year. The disease plagues many poverty stricken regions in tropical areas infested with mosquitoes. Hospitalization is necessary to treat the disease, and the disease is constantly becoming resistant to treatments.

A new vaccine, however, hopes to fight this resistance. A new vaccine has been tested and the results thus far are quite promising. Two studies were conducted in Tanzania and Kenya, and sixty five percents of infants and toddlers who were given the vaccine were protected from Malaria. Equally important as protecting, the vaccine also helped those who already had Malaria.

The vaccine is currently being called RTS,S, and while researchers acknowledge it's not perfect, it's one of the most promising medical discoveries in recent history. The director of the nonprofit PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative,Christian Loucq, excitedly commented on the new vaccine."Even a partially effective vaccine has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives each year. We are one important step closer to the date when malaria will join diseases such as smallpox and polio, which have been either eliminated or controlled through vaccines."

Researchers plan to begin phase III clinical testing soon, and seek regulatory approval for using the vaccine next year if the results are as positive as expected.