News

Malaria vaccine closer than ever, scientists say

29 September 2010

Advanced trials of the RTS,S vaccine against falciparum malaria, the deadliest strain of the disease, are under way in seven African countries and going “very well,” said GlaxoSmithKline researcher Joe Cohen, who has been working on developing the vaccine for over 20 years.

The first malaria vaccine could be available in Africa by 2015.

RTS,S is only a stepping stone to wiping out the disease that threatens more than a third of the world’s population and kills some 900,000 people a year, most of them in Africa.

Malaria is one of the main obstacles to socio-economic development in Africa, and developing effective vaccines against the disease would have an enormous effect on reducing its negative impact.

Read the full article at the Sydney Morning Herald and share your views in our Comments section below.