A “pretty good” malaria vaccine is on track to be the first to market. It only prevents infection about one-quarter to one-half the time, so it’s not as good as most vaccines. But for a disease like malaria, which kills 600,000 people a year, “pretty good” may be good enough. GlaxoSmithKline has applied for regulatory approval for its RTS,S vaccine. Partial protection A new 18-month study in … [Read more...]
Inexpensive Paper Microscope Could Help Diagnose Disease
A $1 microscope made of paper might help diagnose diseases in the developing world -- provided there are also people trained to use it. The folded-paper microscope, called the Foldscope, could also open the microscopic world to curious young minds. The Foldscope takes less than 10 minutes to put together from folded pieces of pre-cut paperboard. It’s a simple design, but powerful: its … [Read more...]
Mosquitos Can Smell Malaria, Say Scientists
Malaria infection makes mice smell a bit better to mosquitoes, raising the odds that they’ll be bitten and spread the disease according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research could point the way to a Breathalyzer-style diagnostic test for malaria infection. And it’s the latest example of how parasites manipulate the creatures they infect for their … [Read more...]
Play an Online Game to Help Diagnose Malaria
Online crowd-sourcing — in which a task is presented to the public, who respond, for free, with various solutions and suggestions — has been used to evaluate potential consumer products, develop software algorithms and solve vexing research-and-development challenges. But diagnosing infectious diseases? … [Read more...]
Trial: Malaria Chemoprevention Protects Children
The non-governmental organization Doctors Without Borders, or Medecins Sans Frontieres, has launched a new, malaria prevention campaign in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa aimed at protecting the illnesses' most vulnerable population - children under the age of five. During the campaigns at the height of malaria season - from July to October - young children will be offered so-called … [Read more...]
WHO – Investing in Malaria Makes Sense
GENEVA — In marking World Malaria Day on April 25, the World Health Organization says investing in malaria control is good health policy and makes good economic sense. Great progress is being made in controlling malarial infection, and WHO officials think now is the time to capitalize on recent successes in the battle against this preventable and treatable disease. Dr. John Reeder, the … [Read more...]
UCSF Joins Research Partnership to Eliminate Malaria in Namibia
The Global Health Group at University of California San Francisco (UCSF) is celebrating the success of Namibia, where malaria case have dropped 98 percent over the past decade. In 2003, Namibia saw 450,000 cases of malaria; in 2013, that number fell to 2,500. The country is now on track to becoming malaria-free by 2020. The deadly disease, caused by parasites that are transmitted from person … [Read more...]
World Malaria Day 2014
World Malaria Day (WMD) is commemorated every year on 25 April and recognizes global efforts to control malaria. Globally, 3.3 billion people in 106 countries are at risk of malaria. In 2012, malaria caused an estimated 627,000 deaths, mostly among African children. Asia, Latin America, and to a lesser extent the Middle East and parts of Europe are also affected. World Malaria Day sprung out of … [Read more...]
Global Warming May Lead to More Malaria
British and American researchers predict that global warming could mean the spread of the deadly disease malaria to places where it is practically unknown.Writing in the journal Science, the researchers say they found what they call "indisputable evidence" of the effects of climate change. Working in Colombia and Ethiopia, they say they discovered that malaria rises to higher elevations in … [Read more...]
Nearly 200 Million Africans at Risk for Malaria
New research shows that after 10 years of intensified campaigns against malaria 184-million people in Africa still live in moderate to high-risk areas. While the number is high, it’s down from nearly 220-million in 2000 when anti-malaria efforts began to increase. The findings are based on thousands of community-based surveys in 44 African countries and territories. These are places where … [Read more...]