Vaccine Trials

Developing a vaccine against the complex P. falciparum parasite has proven extremely difficult. As such, experts estimate that an effective vaccine against malaria will not be available for at least another five years. If an effective vaccine is discovered, public health programs will inevitably face problems in deploying it. Antimalarial drugs and preventive tools will be needed for the foreseeable future, as will effective policies designed to ensure they reach those at risk of malaria. 

The creation of the Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) has enabled considerable progress towards finding an effective malaria vaccine. A recent vaccine candidate trial in Mozambique reduced childhood infection by a third and outbreaks of severe malaria by half. MVI in conjunction with GlaxoSmithKline and other partners is coordinating the next round of testing in Ghana. 

For more information, please visit MVI’s website.