socialmedian: High hopes for a malaria vaccine

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High hopes for a malaria vaccine

Nov 07, 2009

Summary

The makers of Mosquirix announce a trial involving thousands of children in Africa. They aim to seek marketing approval as soon as 2012 and have a vaccine that reduces infections by 80% by 2025.

Each year, malaria kills more than 1 million people -- 90% of them in sub-Saharan Africa and 80% of them younger than 5 -- and makes 300 million people seriously ill. Major progress in controlling the disease has been made by the widespread adoption of bed nets to keep mosquitoes from attacking children at night and by the use of artemisinin-based therapy, which is the most effective treatment for infections.