Radboud University researchers may have a vaccine that fights the spread of malaria

Researchers at the Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen think they have developed a vaccine that combats the spread of malaria. If an Anopheles mosquito bites a person who has taken the vaccine, and draws a blood meal from them, the malaria parasites in that mosquito are rendered harmless, according to clinical research. The person who has been bitten can still get malaria, but if the mosquito in question then stings another person it is unlikely to infect them.

Those who get vaccinated with the new product would be doing so exclusively to help others, and to actively fight against the proliferation of the disease. A single injection would be enough to prevent new malaria cases from emerging others for an entire malaria season, the scientists expect.

If the drug becomes available in the future, they believe their will be a high willingness to get vaccinated. With more than 200 million cases per year resulting in more than 600,000 deaths, malaria is one of the most major infectious diseases. "Young children in Africa, with poor access to health care, are particularly at risk for malaria," the scientists state.

The new drug, an antibody called TB31F, has since been tested on healthy volunteers. It has been shown to be effective and safe thus far, without serious side effects, according to the researchers. The scientists are now preparing plans to field test the drug in Africa.

People have long been able to protect themselves against the consequences of an infection by taking malaria pills. However, those pills are not always available for everyone.