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RTS,S or Mosquirix - World's First Malaria Vaccine  

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April 25, 2019

Why in news?

A pilot program testing a new malaria vaccine, RTS,S, or Mosquirix, began in the African country of Malawi.

What is Malaria?

  • Malaria is a potentially life-threatening parasitic disease.
  • It is caused by the parasites -
  1. Plasmodium viviax (P.vivax)
  2. Plasmodium falciparum (P.falciparum)
  3. Plasmodium malariae (P.malariae)
  4. Plasmodium ovale (P.ovale)
  • The parasite gets transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito.
  • In the human liver, it can mature, multiply, re-enter the bloodstream, and infect red blood cells, which can lead to disease symptoms.

What is the RTS,S vaccine?

  • The RTS,S vaccine is the first, and to date, the only, vaccine that has demonstrated that it could significantly reduce malaria in children.
  • RTS,S is a scientific name given to this malaria vaccine candidate and represents its composition.
  • It aims to trigger the immune system to defend against the first stages of malaria.
  • This is when the parasite enters the human host’s bloodstream through a mosquito bite and infects liver cells.
  • The vaccine is designed to prevent the parasite from infecting the liver.
  • The vaccine has been developed by GSK (former GlaxoSmithKline), which is donating about 10 million doses of the product for the pilot.
  • It was created in 1987 by GSK, and was subsequently developed with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
  • In clinical trials, the vaccine was found to prevent approximately 4 in 10 malaria cases, including 3 in 10 cases of life-threatening severe malaria.

What is the pilot programme?

  • The WHO welcomed the pilot project in Malawi of administering the malaria vaccine to children below the age of 2 years.
  • Malawi will be followed by Kenya and Ghana.
  • In the selected areas in the three countries, the vaccine will be given in four doses.
  • Three doses will be given between 5 and 9 months of age, and the fourth dose around the child’s second birthday.
  • A total of 3,60,000 children across the three African countries will be covered every year with the vaccine.
  • GSK will assess the results and also work with WHO and PATH to secure the vaccine’s sustained global health impact.
  • Once the pilots have been completed, the WHO will review the results and come out with its recommendations for the use of the vaccine.

How significant is this?

  • Malaria is certainly a major global public health challenge.
  • According to the WHO, malaria remains one of the world’s leading killers, claiming the life of a child every 2 minutes.
  • Most of these deaths are in Africa, where more than 2,50,000 children die from the disease every year.
  • Children under the age of 5, and poorest children among them, are at greatest risk from its life-threatening complications.
  • Worldwide, malaria kills 4,35,000 people a year, most of them children.
  • Moreover, with global warming on the rise, there are predictions of vectors such as mosquitos seeing an explosive rise the world over.
  • These include areas where they are traditionally not found.
  • The malaria vaccine thus has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives, especially of the children.

What is the case with India?

  • India ranks very high in the list of countries with a serious malaria burden.
  • Odisha (40%), Chhattisgarh (20%), Jharkhand (20%), Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram (5-7%) bear the brunt of malaria in India.
  • These states, along with the tribal areas of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, account for 90% of India’s malaria burden.
  • In 2018, around 3, 99,000 cases of malaria and 85 deaths due to the disease were reported in the country.
  • But there is a contention that India may be recording only just 8% of the actual number of malaria cases.
  • Although it is a notifiable disease, it is only voluntary notification as there are no penalties for doctors or hospitals not doing so.
  • 60% to 80% of patients in the urban areas are treated by private doctors or health establishments, most of whom do not notify cases.

 

Source: Indian Express

Quick Fact

PATH

  • PATH is an international non-profit team of innovators.
  • It advises and partners with public institutions, businesses, grassroots groups, and investors to tackle serious global health problems, including malaria.
  • Under its Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI), PATH works with various stakeholders towards the development of a malaria vaccine.
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