Jaipur, December 14, 2024.
A new malaria vaccine appears to be “safe and highly immunogenic”, with “promising efficacy”, according to interim results of the phase 2b clinical trial conducted in African children.
The vaccine candidate, named ‘RH5.1/Matrix-M’, is a blood-stage type, targeting the malaria-causing parasite when it is present in the blood — the stage of the parasite’s life cycle when symptoms begin to show in the affected person. The trial results were published in “The Lancet Infectious Diseases” journal.
Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites, spread to humans through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. Symptoms usually appear in the 10-15 days following the bite, with mild symptoms being fever, chills and headache, while the severe ones can include fatigue, confusion, seizures, and difficulty in breathing.
