For years, Malaria vaccinations were only given to infants
and toddlers in high transmission areas like rural Africa. That’s where all the
studying and tests have been done. Researchers are now using computer
simulations to predict the health benefits of introducing a new malaria vaccine
through different deployment programs in a range of transmission settings. This
new vaccine could be approved by the World Health Organization as early as
2015. There are now many low transmission areas which are getting more common
in Africa, South America, and South-East Asia, so researchers believe that a
mass vaccination would be more effective since it can be effective on people of
all ages. The new vaccine that they are trying to produce is being tested
mostly in high transmission areas, so they are not sure how well this vaccine
would work in low transmission areas. Researchers are using a new
model-generated estimate that could be used at the global level to help in
understanding how best to use the vaccine.
I think this is a great idea because
now malaria can be treated in a mass population, instead of just giving it to
infants in the rural parts of Africa. Many other countries have Malaria as
well, so this new vaccine can help on a global level. Although this may seem
like a good idea, the feasibility and economics of a mass vaccination is
unclear. I think that a mass vaccination in low transmission areas is a new
idea, so it can be hard for this to work without all the proper funding, but at
least it’s a new finding which can help prevent Malaria in large parts of the
world in the future if it works out.
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