Malaria vaccine could go further

One-fifth of the dose of a malaria vaccine could prove effective in the case of a severe drugs shortage during an outbreak, research has shown.

According to a study conducted by Norwegian and Ugandan health officials together with charity research arm Epicentre, spreading malaria drugs further could work.

The findings were based on research conducted on the levels of bacteria in healthy people given malaria drugs in Uganda.

Some of the group were given a tenth of the vaccination while others were given a fifth.

The latter dose was shown to be effective, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health reported, with the results going on to change World Health Organization (WHO) instruction in the event of severe vaccine shortages during an epidemic.

Study results have been published in a medical journal about neglected tropical diseases.

WHO reports say more than a million people die from malaria every year, which is preventable by using drugs and insecticide treated bed nets.

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