World's first malaria vaccine launched in Africa offers new hope in the fight against malaria.
The world's first and only malaria vaccine was launched in the African country of Malawi, as part of a landmark pilot program hoping to protect, in particular, hundreds of thousands of children under five against one of the world's leading killers, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Malaria
Malaria is caused by a parasite that enters blood through the bite of an infected mosquito. It is characterized by fever, vomiting, shivering, sweating and other symptoms.
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‘World Malaria Day 2019: World's first malaria vaccine launched in the African country of Malawi could save millions of children's lives from the deadly mosquito-borne disease.’
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Thirty years in the making, RTS,S is the first, and to date, the only vaccine that has demonstrated it can significantly reduce malaria in children, according to the WHO.
In clinical trials, the vaccine was found to prevent about four in ten malaria cases, including three in ten cases of life-threatening severe malaria, reports Xinhua news agency.
![Malaria - Protection Strategies]( "Malaria - Protection Strategies")
Malaria is a dangerous disease with lethal consequences that requires protective measures for prevention and control of malaria in endemic regions of the world.
Malawi is the first of three in Africa where RTS,S is to be made available to children up to two years of age. Ghana and Kenya will introduce the vaccine in the coming weeks.
According to WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, despite tremendous gains from bed nets and other measures to control malaria in the last 15 years, progress has stalled and even reversed in some areas. The vaccine may serve as a new solution that will potentially save tens of thousands of children's lives.
While celebrating the launch of the vaccine, the WHO also reminds that it's a complementary malaria control tool added to the core package of WHO-recommended measures for malaria prevention, including the routine use of insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor spraying with insecticides, and the timely use of malaria testing and treatment.
An outcome of public-private partnership under the WHO's coordination, the pilot vaccine program is designed to generate evidence and experience to inform WHO policy recommendations on the broader use of the vaccine.
It will look at reductions in child deaths; vaccine uptake, including whether parents bring their children on time for the four required doses; and vaccine safety in the context of routine use.
Malaria remains one of the world's leading killers, claiming the life of one child every two minutes, according to WHO statistics. Most of these deaths are in Africa, where more than 250,000 children die from the disease every year.
Children under five are at greatest risk of its life-threatening complications. Worldwide, malaria kills 4,35,000 people a year, most of them children.
Source: IANS
Malaria - Protection Strategies
Malaria is a dangerous disease with lethal consequences that requires protective measures for prevention and control of malaria in endemic regions of the world.
Advertisement
Malawi is the first of three in Africa where RTS,S is to be made available to children up to two years of age. Ghana and Kenya will introduce the vaccine in the coming weeks.
According to WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, despite tremendous gains from bed nets and other measures to control malaria in the last 15 years, progress has stalled and even reversed in some areas. The vaccine may serve as a new solution that will potentially save tens of thousands of children's lives.
While celebrating the launch of the vaccine, the WHO also reminds that it's a complementary malaria control tool added to the core package of WHO-recommended measures for malaria prevention, including the routine use of insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor spraying with insecticides, and the timely use of malaria testing and treatment.
An outcome of public-private partnership under the WHO's coordination, the pilot vaccine program is designed to generate evidence and experience to inform WHO policy recommendations on the broader use of the vaccine.
It will look at reductions in child deaths; vaccine uptake, including whether parents bring their children on time for the four required doses; and vaccine safety in the context of routine use.
Malaria remains one of the world's leading killers, claiming the life of one child every two minutes, according to WHO statistics. Most of these deaths are in Africa, where more than 250,000 children die from the disease every year.
Children under five are at greatest risk of its life-threatening complications. Worldwide, malaria kills 4,35,000 people a year, most of them children.
Source: IANS
Malaria - Waterborne
Encyclopedia section of medindia gives general information about About Malaria Causes
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 Mosquito DiseasesMosquito-borne diseases, like malaria, filaria, dengue, etc are common in places conducive of mosquito breeding. Swamps, ponds and stagnated drainage provide optimal breeding ground for mosquitoes. | Advertisement
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