New malaria vaccine may be boon for Africa

A vaccine that appears to be able to prevent the disease in about 50 percent of children is now undergoing the final stage of testing. If regulators determine the vaccine is safe, it could be on the market in three to five years - the first vaccine against a human parasite. More than a million children die of the disease in Africa annually, a crippling economic drain that prolongs a cycle of disease and poverty throughout the continent. Malaria is also prevalent in Asia, the Middle East and Central and South America.


The goal is to immunise children against malaria during their youngest high-risk years, and then for them to develop their own natural immunities as they age. Neil@directinvestment.biz