Malaria has been terrorizing sub-saharan Africa for well over two millennia and it unfortunately claims the lives of more than 260 thousand African children annually. In the 20th century alone, Malaria has claimed the lives of over 300 million people worldwide, accounting for 5 percent of all deaths in this time period.
The WHO recently endorsed a vaccine known as “Mosquirix” designed to target the plasmodium parasite that causes Malaria. The emergence of a vaccine would significantly benefit those living in sub-saharan Africa as the death toll from malaria would decline.
The following article presents the important details about the vaccine. It’s highly cost-effective, has no negative impacts on existing measures put in place to prevent the contraction of malaria and the vaccine has already had 2.3 million doses administered without any negative side effects to accompany it.
In order to make a significant difference in malaria cases in the future, the WHO is recommending the widespread use of the vaccine all across sub-saharan Africa.
Tikweze Namadzunda (5)
Hi Tikweze,
ReplyDeletethis is such an interesting post! I've heard about malaria but I hadn't realize that it caused so many deaths, especially amongst young children. It is relieving to hear of a vaccine and with no bad side effects, it seems like a really good option to combat malaria. Hopefully, a lot of people who are at risk for malaria can receive a dose.
-Kristina Baldeo
It's great to hear that this vaccine is being administered. I read that being heterozygous for sickle-cell anemia in parts of Africa is advantageous because it provides natural resistance in high-risk malaria areas. I wonder how the vaccine would influence the allele frequency of this heterozygous condition in future generations?
ReplyDelete- Declan Downing
Hi Tikweze,
ReplyDeleteYour post is very interesting and caught my eye because in another course we learned about how having sickle cell anemia gives and advantage in fighting malaria and how not having sickle cell anemia means that you have less of a tolerance to malaria. It is an evolutionary tradeoff that is only advantageous in parts of the world with high malaria disease. I wonder how that would change in the future thanks to this vaccine. Its really great that there is way to help protect the people in malaria infected areas!
Hey Jess,
DeleteI believe that the vaccine will put more people at an advantage when it comes to fighting malaria and not just those with the sickle cell gene
Hi Tikweze,
ReplyDeleteI knew that malaria cases in Africa has been an ongoing issue that threatens the lives of many native to the area, but seeing the statistics is shocking. It's awesome to see that there's finally some type of vaccine for malaria that can help to protect the population of sub-saharan Africa.
- Brianna Bailey
This is a very interesting post. With how hard malaria is hitting some places, it is critical that a vaccine is used to try and stop the spread. Hopefully it produces very positive results and can continue to be produced at a cost-effective price. That way people's lives are being prioritized over making a profit.
ReplyDelete-Zach Conant
Hey Zach you make a great point about the vaccine being cost-effective, I definitely think most people will be willing to take it considering it's a cheap vaccine
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