{"id":139728,"date":"2021-10-07T20:56:06","date_gmt":"2021-10-07T15:26:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=139728"},"modified":"2021-10-16T12:10:32","modified_gmt":"2021-10-16T06:40:32","slug":"explained-what-is-mosquirix-the-first-malaria-vaccine-to-get-the-whos-backing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/explained-what-is-mosquirix-the-first-malaria-vaccine-to-get-the-whos-backing\/","title":{"rendered":"Explained: What is Mosquirix, the first malaria vaccine to get the WHO\u2019s backing?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/h5>\n
What is the news?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n

The new vaccine<\/span>\u00a0\u201cRTS,S\/ASO1 (RTS.S)\u201d<\/span><\/b>\u00a0with\u00a0its<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>trade name\u00a0\u201c<\/span>Mosquirix<\/a>\u201d <\/span><\/b>was<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>endorsed by the World Health Organisation<\/span> (WHO) recently. This is the <\/span>first\u00a0and only <\/span>vaccine shown to\u00a0<\/span>have the capability of significantly reducing malaria, and life-threatening severe malaria, in tests on young African children.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

About the vaccine – Mosquirix<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n

Mosquirix has been developed by British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline in partnership with the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative. It was approved for the pilot programme in 2015.<\/p>\n

The vaccine acts against\u00a0<\/span>P. falciparum<\/span><\/b>, the\u00a0most deadly\u00a0malaria parasite globally, and the most prevalent in Africa<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The malaria vaccine should be provided in a schedule of 4 doses in children from 5 months of age for the reduction of malaria disease and burden.<\/p>\n

Note<\/strong>: Among children who received 4 doses in large scale clinical trials, the vaccine was able to prevent approximately 4 in 10 cases of malaria over a 4-year period.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More than 800,000 children in Ghana<\/strong>, Kenya<\/strong>, and Malawi<\/strong> have been vaccinated, and are benefiting from the vaccine as part of a pilot program.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read more<\/strong>: New Malaria Vaccine Can be a Game Changer in Curtailing Malaria<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
What is the significance of the WHO recommendation?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n

WHO\u2019s recommendation is based on the advice of its two global advisory bodies, one for immunization and the other for malaria.<\/p>\n

Strategic delivery of the vaccine just prior to the high malaria transmission season can optimize impact and markedly reduce mortality, especially when combined with other recommended malaria control interventions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

About Malaria<\/span><\/b><\/h5>\n

It is caused by the bite of the\u00a0<\/span>female Anopheles mosquito <\/span><\/b>(vector) if the mosquito itself is infected with a malarial parasite.<\/span>\u00a0It is\u00a0<\/span>preventable and curable<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are\u00a0<\/span>five kinds of malarial parasites<\/span><\/b>\u00a0\u2014 Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax (the commonest ones), Plasmodium\u00a0malariae, Plasmodium\u00a0ovale, and Plasmodium\u00a0knowlesi.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Children\u00a0<\/span><\/b>aged under 5 years are the\u00a0<\/span>most vulnerable<\/span><\/b>\u00a0group affected by malaria; in 2019, they accounted for 67% (274,000) of all malaria deaths worldwide.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2019,\u00a0<\/span>India\u00a0<\/span><\/b>had an estimated\u00a0<\/span>5.6 million cases<\/span><\/b> of malaria compared to about 20 million cases in 2000, according to WHO.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the criteria for obtaining malaria-free status?<\/span><\/b><\/h5>\n

As per WHO, a country can be declared malaria-free when it reports zero indigenous cases of malaria for 3 or more years. Over the last two decades, 11 countries have been certified by the WHO as malaria-free. The latest one was El Salvador.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read more<\/strong>: El Salvador becomes \u201cMalaria-free Country\u201d<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Source:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>This post is based on\u00a0the following articles<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n