Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Effective Vaccine For Malaria

Posted by timothy on from the no-weeping-or-crying dept.

PeterM from Berkeley writes "According to this news story, researchers may have finally developed a vaccine effective against malaria. Malaria kills 1 million people per year and sickens about 300 million, and is one of the big reasons the 3rd world is a mess. And as a bonus, it may be that the same vaccine may also protect against smallpox."

24 comments

  1. Go Humans! by ArmorFiend · · Score: 1

    Well, uh, this is good. :)

  2. Malaria in the third world by dbglt · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Excuse my ignorance, yet I do not know much about malaria. Why is it such a problem in the third world? I know it has something to do with mosquitoes... yet it is not a problem in the western world.

    Why is it unheard of here, yet so rife in 3rd world countries? Do we have ways of prevention? I heard about an asian country trying to kill off their mosquito population to try eradicate this.

    If I remember correctly it was DDT or something similar used in Europe to kill off the anopheles mosquito that causes malaria.

    And finally, how long is it before the disease evolves to be resistant to this vaccine? We know this is the case with me any other so called "cures".

    1. Re:Malaria in the third world by baywulf · · Score: 4, Informative

      "Excuse my ignorance, yet I do not know much about malaria. Why is it such a problem in the third world? I know it has something to do with mosquitoes... yet it is not a problem in the western world."

      I saw a show the other day about mosquitoes in Florida. Florida spends 2-3 billion dollars from my recollection to combat mosquitoes. I doubt most 3rd worlds countries can afford this much.

    2. Re:Malaria in the third world by nosferatu-man · · Score: 5, Informative

      It has everything to do with mosquitos. The disease (which kills something on the order of 5,000 people every single day) is caused by a plasmodium spread by the anopheles mosquito. Endemic malaria is therefore bounded by the home range of the mosquitos that carry it.

      It doesn't help that the areas of the world where the disease is endemic tend to be places where there is no history of a robust public health infrastructure (Brazil, West Africa, Southeast Asia). There were widespread spraying programs throughout the '60s that cut the rate of infection dramatically, but there's no political will -- nor, to be fair, sufficient resources -- to keep the program going. Uganda (or possibly Kenya, I forget) has been very successful with the simplest of malaria control measures: insecticide-treated mosquito nets, which cut infection rates dramatically.

      Malaria is so brutal because it not only kills, but also debilitates an additional 500,000,000 people a year, who can't do anything -- can't work, can't care for children or sick family, anything. It's not for nothing that malaria is increasingly being viewed as an issue not just of public health, but also of economic development.

      A fair argument could even be made that malaria (in addition to schistosomiasis and trypanosomiasis) basically prevented the formation of cities beyond a certain population density. Check out William MacNeill's Plagues And Peoples for an excellent treatment of the impact of disease on human cultural development.

      'jfb

      --
      To spur "enterprise Linux," Big Bang, the distributed two-phase commit.
    3. Re:Malaria in the third world by Cliffm · · Score: 1

      > but also debilitates an additional 500,000,000

      I would love to see something to back this up. 500 Million? We are talking about 5% - 7% of the world. I am really doubtful this is true.

    4. Re:Malaria in the third world by sethanon · · Score: 4, Informative

      Sounded high to me too but a quick Google turns up the following:

      "every year malaria kills more than two million people and infects and debilitates around 500 million."

      http://www.wehi.edu.au/news/press/19mar2003.html

      There are a few other sources coming up with similar figures... 300 - 500 million infected and 1 - 3 million dying per annum.

    5. Re:Malaria in the third world by Fmonkey · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The only countries I have knowledge about with mosquito eradication are France and the U.S.

      France was a cesspool from run off from the alps before engineers practically terraformed their country and drained all the swamps (Thus was invented the French Drain).

      The U.S. had similar operations. They also used a massive campaign of DDT which had trucks crossing the countryside covering everything in DDT. (I have heard stories of kids chasing the trucks around to play in the fog sprayed from them.)

      It takes a tremendous effort to coordinate the type of campaign required to fix these problems. Some African countries still rely on DDT to control the mosquito populations.

      Without the option of the vaccine, there is almost no option of control. The two countries previously mentioned benefited from a culture of fanatical patriotism. This gives people the replenishing energy state of mind to be able to survive the frightening amount of work that is required to terraform a landscape. Workers blindly obeyed the desire to rid the world (their country) of the menace plague. (The workers were motivated by language and not reward.)

      The third world needs to get a huge group of very intelligent psychologically imbalanced people and controllably direct their unenviable focus to fix the problem.
      Or just pay some companies more money than the countries involved actually possess.

      I feel my idea is more workable.

      And more fun.

      Genesis Chapter 11.

    6. Re:Malaria in the third world by nosferatu-man · · Score: 2

      Are the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention reliable enough?

      'jfb

      --
      To spur "enterprise Linux," Big Bang, the distributed two-phase commit.
    7. Re:Malaria in the third world by jessemckinney · · Score: 1

      I just read a great book by the author Gerald Diamond, "Guns, Germs, and Steel". He talks a bit about this as well. Some of the other causes were: lack of domesticatable animals, crops, different types of written languages, and technologies. A really great book that I would definetly reccomend.

  3. I'll believe it when I see it... by pstemari · · Score: 5, Informative
    Check out Robert Desowitz's The Malaria Capers for why taking a grain of salt with this announcement may be advised. The plasmodium parasite has multiple life stages that must be protected against to develop full immunity. Protection against one does not provide protection against the others.

    Also, calling anything based on the vaccinia virus "safe" in such a blanket fashion is vast overkill. Unlike most vaccines, vaccinia-based ones are live virus and cause severe complications if they get into the bloodstream--rather like the difference between cutaneous anthrax and pulmonary anthrax. Check out the CDC for just how nasty vaccinia can get if it escapes the vaccination site.

  4. From the Nando Times article by pphrdza · · Score: 2, Informative
    Using a strain of the smallpox vaccine known as MVA, the researchers found it had "a rare ability to selectively boost" T-cells - critical immune cells that attack invading disease - that have been primed in advance by the malaria protein...
    MVA is also being used in trials in Africa in an effort to boost the immune response to AIDS.

    The MVA (smallpox) vaccine is much safer, although less effective against smallpox. But its main purpose in this case is to boost the immune system, especially in fighting malaria. Sounds promising, especially given the low cost and safety.

  5. As someone who's taken malaria pills... by curunir · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ...and had to deal with the resulting, acid-trip-like dreams vivid enough to rival the experience on even the most expensive of illicit substances, I have this to say:

    "Your vaccine is not welcome!"

    --
    "Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos!"
    1. Re:As someone who's taken malaria pills... by itchyfidget · · Score: 1

      On the contrary, perhaps the vaccine will _prevent_ us from having to take malaria tablets in future.

      I too suffered horrendous nightmares and sleep disturbances for a month when I took a course of malaria tablets. It left me feeling totally drained and fed up during the daytime and apprehensive as hell about going to bed, because I knew what a rough ride the night would be.

      But then I figure, what's a month's sleep disturbance compared to a recurring parasitic infection that can wreck your whole life?

      I say bring it on, IF it can be proved sufficiently safe (there's a nasty precedent of using third-world populations for clinical trials, and that's something we _definitely_ don't want).

      --
      Mod early, mod often.
    2. Re:As someone who's taken malaria pills... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Amen!

      Bill Hicks

      Mod me up, bitches, and educate the world.

    3. Re:As someone who's taken malaria pills... by curunir · · Score: 1

      On the contrary, perhaps the vaccine will _prevent_ us from having to take malaria tablets in future.

      You seemed to have missed the point of my previous comment.

      Malaria pills are notorious for having widely different side effects depending on the person taking them. Whereas some people experience horrendous nightmares like you did, other's (like me ;) experience wonderful, vividly colorful dreams. Contrary to feeling totally drained like you did, I awoke refreshed and ended up having to sleep less to receive enough rest to make it through my days.

      Therefore, as I imagine a vaccine would eliminate any need for the pills beyond the recreational, I would be sad to never again be able to duplicate my experiences with malaria pills...hence the conclusion of my last post.

      --
      "Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos!"
    4. Re:As someone who's taken malaria pills... by itchyfidget · · Score: 1

      Durr ... sorry!

      I guess I was so fed up after my experience that I applied my own little message-interpreation-filter to what you wrote.

      Happy malarial-zone travel ... guess they'd bust you if you repeatedly asked for prescriptions then never travelled anywhere ;-)

      --
      Mod early, mod often.
    5. Re:As someone who's taken malaria pills... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just from my personal experience as a physician, people experiencing such side effects from mefloquine are the exception to the rule. However, the patients that have reported it to me have almost all spoken of nightmares or other adverse reactions. I can't think of anyone who had a "good trip" so to speak.

      I realize this is not a scientific sample, and people are more likely to talk to their doctor about a problem than a benefit. But mefloquine is, in fact contraindicated for people who are prone to seizures or mental illness.

      As always, talk with your doctor about all of your options. Drug resistant strains of malaria vary quite a bit depending on where you are travelling, so you should try to use the most effective antimalarial for that region.

    6. Re:As someone who's taken malaria pills... by Dr.+Manhattan · · Score: 1
      My dreams just got really, really strange. I have surreal dreams normally but for the month and a half I was on the pills I had the weirdest of my life. Not scary, not delightful, just odd.

      The Statue of Liberty lays an egg and then has to defend it against King Kong in a parking lot, but then they both kind of morph into sort of African tribal sculptures, and then there's a bunch of cartoon cells and viruses swirling around...

      --
      PHEM - party like it's 1997-2003!
    7. Re:As someone who's taken malaria pills... by itchyfidget · · Score: 1

      FWIW, my drug of (un-)choice was Chloroquine (it was for travel to the Caribbean). Don't fancy THAT again. Saying that, they weren't inclined to prescribe me mefloquine for the reasons you state, even though I have no history of mental illness (figuring, I guess, that people are better safe than sorry).

      --
      Mod early, mod often.
  6. change the header by u19925 · · Score: 1

    the header tries to give impression as if the whole third world is greatly impacted by malaria. this is not true. it is true that most cases of malaria are in third world, but most of the third world is not in mess because of malaria. nearly 80-90 % of the estimated 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths occur in sub-sahara africa where about 90% of the infected people leave (www.idrc.ca/books/reports/1996/01-07e.html). this means 10-20% of 1.5-2.7 million deaths occurs in rest of the third world. taking middle figures, this gives 315K/yr deaths. this figure is not too much differnt than common flu.