Hope for World's First Malaria Vaccine to Save Lives

10 November 2011

A recent research paper concludes that the RTS,S vaccine considerably reduces the risk of developing malaria in children across Africa. Read the results...

Malaria is a mosquito-borne parasitic disease and major global health threat, killing 1-3 million people each year. With a further 3 billion people at risk from the disease and the majority of deaths occurring in infants and young children, progressions in control of the disease are vital. Scientists are working to advance health care technology against the parasite and to develop new vaccines as preventative measures. One such vaccine, known at RTS,S, is showing promising results in its third stage of clinical trial and could make a significant difference to many suffering the affects of the disease. A recent research paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) concludes that the vaccine has been shown to considerably reduce the risk of developing malaria in children across Africa.

The Trial

In the trial, conducted by pharmaceutical company GlaskoSmithKline (GSK) and the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI), the vaccine was tested on 6000 children aged 5-17 months, across seven African countries. The vaccine was proven to decrease the risk of this age group contracting malaria by approximately 50%. Further results for the effectiveness of the intervention in the younger age group of infants between 6-12 weeks are expected in one year. If the overall results across all age groups show the vaccine to be safe and effective, it is hoped that RTS,S will be made available by 2015.

The Results of the Trial

Although a promising step in the right direction, the results of the trial have suggested that the protection provided by the vaccine may decrease overtime, and that the vaccine may only have a short-term benefit in reducing the risk of malaria for less than one year. Results of a booster dose of the vaccine will not be available for several years so it remains unclear as to whether this protection can be extended.

While the initial hope for the vaccine was to achieve complete eradication of malaria, a Principal Investigator has stated that ‘this is going to contribute to the control of malaria rather than wiping it out’. However, the vaccine undoubtedly has the potential to make a substantial impact in the ultimate fight against malaria, with the UK’s Minister for International Development stating that the vaccine offers ‘real hope for the future’. The successful development of the vaccine will not only provide hope to millions of people across Africa, but is also likely to be a subject of interest for many international aid, development and mission agencies and other travellers who frequently visit or work in malaria endemic countries.

You can access the publication here.

Kate Probert, Clinical Research Intern.