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Malaria eradication is a long way off

Malaria eradication is a long way off

 


Arrival of the first malaria vaccine The disease, which killed nearly 630,000 people worldwide in 2020, mostly in children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa, raises hopes that it can be eradicated. of The New York Times reported this week.

The story presented challenges, including overcoming logistical challenges in distributing vaccines, medicines and bed nets across the rough terrain of African countries. Balance other health priorities. and to overcome misinformation around the deployment of new vaccines.

vaccination: who recommended the first vaccine against malaria one year ago. Mosquirix took more than 30 years of his development, costing more than $200 million, and is the world’s first vaccine against parasitic diseases. But for hospitalization prevention, he is 30% effective, and severe supply constraints probably won’t reach African children until late 2023.

Experts are betting that: second vaccine A team at the University of Oxford is developing it. The company’s malaria injections have shown up to 80% efficacy in clinical trials and could be a game changer, but it will take him at least a year.

And many more preventive tools are being developed. An mRNA vaccine from BioNTech, a German company that worked with Pfizer on its Covid-19 vaccine, and a monoclonal antibody that can prevent malaria for at least six months.

Beyond Shot: Mosquitoes spread disease, so killing them is part of the solution.

Bed nets are made with long-lasting insecticides and chemicals that paralyze mosquitoes.

Researcher at Imperial College London genetically modified mosquito to prevent them from transmitting malaria.

An early-stage clinical trial also used mosquitoes to deliver an malaria vaccine. reported by NPR.

Lack of resources: The international vaccine alliance, Gavi, has committed $155 million to deploy Mosquirix, and UNICEF has awarded vaccine manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline a $170 million contract to produce 18 million doses over the next three years. gave

This is far from the estimated 100 million doses needed annually.

abdrumman diallo CEO of Roll Back Malaria Partnership Pointed out a $2.6 billion funding shortfall For malaria prevention tools.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria funds mosquito nets and medicines. not enough last month Reached $18 billion funding goal over the next three years. Instead, he got a commitment of $14.2 billion, about the same as three years ago.

Logistical issues: Mosquirix must be given in four doses from 5 months to 18 months, but many African parents struggle to get their children to the clinic.

Distrust of vaccines is also growing.of 1 surveyabout half of people in Niger and the Democratic Republic of the Congo said they distrust malaria vaccines.

Our view: Eradication of malaria is still a long way off. Efforts to eradicate polio, for which a vaccine has been developed for over 60 years started 35 years ago.

Here we explore the ideas and innovators shaping healthcare. Can CRISPR cut out HIV genes from human DNA? Clinical trials are testing to see if removing the parts of the HIV genome involved in viral replication eliminates the virus and eliminates the need for patients to take antiretroviral drugs for the rest of their lives. increase.

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I wanted President Joe Biden To demonstrate America’s renewed commitment to international health cooperation He appointed surgeon General Vivek Mercy This week on the Board of Directors of the World Health Organization.

However, the reaction on Twitter wasn’t as positive as Biden had hoped. Some in the public health world disrespected Lois Pace, the Undersecretary for International Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services. Pace was the face of the regime on the WHO Council.