- Malaria eradication possible in decade
- Two British vaccines licensed
- Funding, commitment crucial for success
Malaria may be eradicated within a decade, according to a leading vaccinologist who developed the revolutionary vaccine for Oxford University.
Globally, the disease, which is transmitted and carried by mosquitoes, is responsible for over 600,000 deaths annually; recent efforts to reduce the death toll have stalled.
However, with the licensing of two British anti-malaria vaccines, “eradication of malaria within ten years is now a distinct possibility.”
The director of Oxford’s Jenner Institute, Professor Adrian Hill, stated that the new tools can be used in conjunction with traditional prevention methods such as mosquito nets and antimalarial drugs.
“I believe it [eradication] will occur in the mid-2030s, assuming sufficient funding is secured,” he stated at the annual conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Denver.
Much is happening; the situation is quite exciting. After 35 years in this field, it has never been this way.
The first effective vaccine, the RTS,S jab developed by GSK, received approval for widespread implementation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in July 2022. Subsequently, in December 2023, Oxford University’s R21 vaccine was approved.
Last month, routine malaria vaccinations were administered for the first time in Cameroon, with the goal of reaching 6.6 million children in 20 African countries by 2025.
Professor Hill elaborated on how the initial vaccinations could prime the human immune system. These vaccinations, designed to resist the parasitic disease, were the result of 114 years of research.
It is anticipated that Oxford’s £3-per-dose vaccine will be cheaper and simpler to mass-produce than GSK’s, with production of at least 35 million doses planned for this year and the capacity to increase to 200 million annually.
Nevertheless, according to the WHO, both vaccines are capable of averting approximately 75% of malaria infections. No evidence suggests that one is more effective.
The Irish vaccinologist remarked that the United Kingdom is “overwhelmingly powerful” in the fight against malaria and “extraordinarily strong on tropical medicines.”
Nonetheless, he cautioned that adequate funding is essential for eradication efforts.
Some countries have already made remarkable advancements. After 30 million malaria cases in 1970, China has been malaria-free since 2017.
Professor Hill further stated that the lack of further efforts to eradicate the disease was “almost a disgrace.”
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“People continue to believe that ‘Babies die in Africa,'” he stated. “They do, but they’re not infants; they’re between one and two years old, individuals with names who engage in eye contact and were seen playing enthusiastically the day before. It’s abhorrent to witness.”
WHO expert on malaria, Mary Hamel, expressed “less optimism” at the conference. She doubted the feasibility of achieving elimination by the 2030s using current interventions.
However, she continued, “I believe we will be enhancing the tools at our disposal. Even though these were the first generation of malaria vaccines, efforts are already underway to improve them.
I wholeheartedly agree that additional funding and commitment are required to achieve the goal of eradication.
