New malaria vaccine shows promise

Trials of a new malaria vaccine on young children in Mozambique have shown the treatment successfully protects children against the disease.

The vaccine, currently known as RTS,S/AS02D, was proven to safely reduce both malaria parasite infection and clinical illness caused by malaria in those tested, according to a report into the study published in the Lancet.

Three months after taking the vaccine, the test group of 214 infants aged from ten to 18 weeks olds were 65 per cent less likely to contract malaria, while the number of those who did contract malaria and needed clinical care was cut by 35 per cent.

Dr Christian Loucq, direction of the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative said: "While other Phase II studies of this vaccine candidate are underway, this study helps pave the way for a pivotal Phase III trial of what could be the first malaria vaccine for infants and young children in Africa."

"The world urgently needs a safe and effective vaccine to reduce the suffering malaria causes," he added.

UNICEF recently reported significant steps in the battle against malaria in sub-Saharan Africa with the doubling of production of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, from 30 million in 2004 to 63 million in 2006.