Malaria kills more than 60 million people worldwide every year. Malaria is just a normal disease caused by Plasmodum parasite and transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes. It is not a widespread epidemic, nor does the infection spread rapidly. And also we can’t say that it is not curable. But only the problem is that, all the time people die due to the carelessness and lack of timely treatment. In such circumstances, now malaria has become one of the most difficult diseases in the world.
But now the Experts estimate that malaria will be eradicated from the world by 2040 based on the vaccine recently approved by the World Health Organization. This new vaccines continue to show some hope to fight against malaria and eradicated it from the world by 2040.
Adrian Hill, director and principal investigator of the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford, explains why there is so much hope for the vaccine and why it has taken so long to develop. About 75 people were treated in the trial over a year.
The vaccine could be mass-produced and would be play a critical role in protecting children from malaria in countries like Africa where the world’s highest number of deaths happen due to malaria. As estimated 4 crore children born in malaria affected areas will benefit from this vaccine.
A person will need four doses of the vaccine over a 14-month period. That means 16 crore doses will be needed every year. For this, the Serum Institute of India is Oxford University’s manufacturing and commercial partner that can produce the required dose every year. Its another biggest advantage is its price. Due to the large volume of production, the cost of one dose this vaccine will be 5 US dollars.