"U.S. reports a breakthrough in malaria vaccine"

[applegrove]

U.S. reports a breakthrough in malaria vaccine

By Matt Smith and William Hudson, CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/08/health/malaria-vaccine/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

"SNIP...........................


(CNN) -- U.S. researchers reported a breakthrough Thursday in the search for a vaccine for malaria, the mosquito-borne disease that sickens millions worldwide.

More than three dozen volunteers received multiple, intravenous doses of a vaccine produced with a weakened form of the disease, scientists from the National Institutes of Health, the Navy, Army and other organizations reported Thursday.

Though the results were promising, more extensive field testing will be required, the researchers wrote. Nevertheless, the it marks the first time any vaccine trial has shown 100% success in protecting subjects from the mosquito-borne tropical disease, which sickens more than 200 million a year and killed about 660,000 in 2010.

Dr. William Schaffner, head of the preventive medicine department at Vanderbilt University's medical school, called the results "a scientific advance" -- but cautioned that it's "not ready yet for prime time."


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[Warpy]

1. That is huge news

Much of what holds the developing world back is the fact that at any given time so many of their people are sick with or trying to get over malaria. It's an incredibly debilitating illness. Having a prevention instead of a bunch of treatments that are rapidly becoming ineffective is world changing.

[applegrove]

2. My dad and I were just saying that. For

such a long time nobody was solving the less developed nations' diseases. The treatment right now is 5 intravenous shots spread over 5 weeks. And it is a parasite not a virus or bacteria. So they are still ten years away from a practical cure. But what a breakthrough.

[Warpy]

4. My mother had one of the few US cases in the 1940s

She certainly didn't have fond memories of it. Mosquito and therefore malaria eradication had been going on in the south for over 20 years. The advent of DDT spraying made new malaria cases rare. Living on a swamp in Florida was one of the best places to catch it and she did.

Next one is a vaccine for all 4 serotypes of dengue. Dengue is moving north fairly rapidly. You don't die from the first bout of the disease, although you want to. You do die from a second bout. The mosquitoes that spread it are particularly troublesome since they feed during the day. Earlier vaccines have managed as many as 3 serotypes but none so far has protected against all forms of the disease.

I have a nasty suspicion that the focus on tropical diseases is occurring because they are moving north, although there is a strong altruistic component.

[applegrove]

5. About thirty years ago people in

development economics really were complaining that the West were only solving diseases that affected westerners. That some of the tropical diseases being ignored were not all that complicated to solve (but some of them were). Then the likes of Bill Gates and Jimmy Carter and many other organizations started concerted efforts to solve tropical diseases and voila! Progress. In fact I think the US Navy was a partner in this malaria treatment. So yeah they were solving a problem that affected them too. Just glad that so much of the developing world will not be worn the hell out by this disease when they have the mass treatment, not to mention the 600,000 who will not die every year.

[Marrah_G]

3. That is huge!