Tuesday, January 11, 2022

First Malaria Vaccine Approved-Top Ten Science News of 2021

 

As a retired FDA scientist( Chemistry Team Leader) and former GS-14 expert on Anti-Malarial and Anti-Parasitic Products, the news that a vaccine against Malaria had been approved fulfilled my dream and wish in life.

 

This discovery was overshadowed by covid-19 vaccines news, but made it as one of the top ten science news for 2021. At the bottom of the page is the site discussing in details of the top ten science discoveries for 2021.  

My enthusiasm and joys is that this malaria vaccine can save hundred thousands  lives of children as well as adults every year. It deserves as much publicity as the Covid-19 vaccines that dominate the news for over two years.

In October, the World Health Organization approved the first vaccine against malaria. The approval was not only a first for that disease, but also for any parasitic disease. The moment was 30 years in the making, as Mosquirix—the brand name of the drug—cost more than $750 million since 1987 to develop and test. Malaria kills nearly a half million individuals a year, including 260,000 children under the age of five. Most of these victims live in sub-Saharan Africa. The new vaccine fights the deadliest of five malaria pathogens and the most prevalent in Africa, and is administered to children under five in a series of four injections. The vaccine is not a silver bullet; it prevents only about 30 percent of severe malaria cases. But one modeling study showed that still could prevent 5.4 million cases and 23,000 deaths in children under five each year. Experts say the vaccine is a valuable tool that should be used in conjunction with existing methods—such as drug combination treatments and insecticide-treated bed nets—to combat the deadly disease.

https://www.who.int/news/item/06-10-2021-who-recommends-groundbreaking-malaria-vaccine-for-children-at-risk

Here's the link for the top ten science stories for the year, 2021 for your reading pleasure. 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-ten-most-significant-science-stories-of-2021-180979278/

Meanwhile here are two videos on the Malaria vaccine Discovery




 

 

No comments: