Experimental Malaria Vaccine Slashes Infection Risk By Half : Shots - Health Blog : NPR
After decades of disappointment, researchers think they’re finally on track to unleash the first practical vaccine against malaria, one of mankind’s ancient scourges.
In the world’s first large field trial of an experimental malaria vaccine, several thousand young children who got three doses had about 55 percent less risk of getting the disease over a year than those who got a control vaccine against rabies or meningitis.
Dr. Christian Louqc, who’s leading the final-phase clinical trial at 11 sites across Africa, tells Shots that among several thousand children who got “control” vaccines, there were 1,500 cases of malaria — more than one episode per child in the following year. But for every 1,000 children who got the experimental malaria vaccine, there were only 750 cases of malaria.
Considering only life-threatening malaria, there were 20 cases among every 1,000 children who got the study vaccine, compared to 40 cases per 1,000 children who got vaccines for other diseases.
Researchers say adverse reactions occurred equally among children who got the malaria vaccine and those who got control vaccines. Some children who got the malaria vaccine had fevers and seizures, but all recovered. There was also a higher incidence of meningitis among those vaccinated against malaria, but the researchers don’t think the cases were caused by the vaccine.