Malaria Vaccine New Discovery and Information
R21/MATRIX-M
Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease that spreads through mosquito bites. According to WHO, millions of people are affected by malaria every year, most of whom are in Africa and Asia. To prevent this disease, a new malaria vaccine has recently been developed which can help in reducing malaria cases and mortality due to it.
You should know this about the new vaccine
Malaria is a deadly disease that spreads through mosquito bites. This disease is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium. This disease spreads through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito.
Common symptoms of malaria include high fever, chills, muscle pain, vomiting and fatigue. If not treated timely, this disease can be fatal.
New malaria vaccine a major breakthrough
The World Health Organization has recently approved the first widely used vaccine for malaria. The name of this vaccine is -RRS.S/AS01 which is known as Mosquirix. This vaccine has been proven to prevent severe cases of malaria, especially in children.
Features of the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine
- 1 Efficacy: This vaccine protects against Plasmodium falciparum, the most common and deadly type of malaria.
- 2 Dosage: This vaccine requires four doses.
Benefits
- Reduction in severe malaria cases in children.
- Reduction in admitted to hospital.
- Reduction in malaria mortality.
New Malaria Vaccine R21/Matrix-M
Recently a new vaccine R21/Matrix -M has been developed which has been approved by WHO in October 2023. This vaccine is considered more effective in preventing malaria
R21/Matrix-M Features of the vaccine
- High efficacy: The efficacy of this vaccine has been found to be more than 75% in clinical trials.
- Dosage: It also requires four doses.
- Low cost: This vaccine is inexpensive, which allows it to be widely distributed in poor countries.
Benefits of vaccine
- 1 Mortality rate
- 2 Prevention
- 3 Reduce burden on health system
Condition of malaria vaccine in India
The malaria vaccine status in India has made significant progress in recent years. The R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine jointly developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India (SII) has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).
This vaccine is particularly effective for children aged 5 to 36 months, who are most affected by malaria.
Measures such as insecticide-treated mosquito nets and indoor residual spraying (IRS) are also playing an important role in malaria prevention in India.
Challenges and the way forward
- 1 Logistics: Delivery of vaccine to remote areas.
- 2 Awareness: Raising awareness about vaccine in the community.
- 3 Continuous monitoring: Monitoring the efficacy and safety of the vaccine.