Making Malaria a Memory?

Plasmodium is a unicellular parasite that causes malaia. It is transmitted by the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito. This blood parasite is a major killer of young children in sub-Saharan Africa. GlaxoSmithKline have developed the first anti-malarial vaccine (https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/oct/06/who-endorses-use-of-worlds-first-malaria-vaccine-in-africa). The vaccine, termed RTS,S or mosquirix, was given over 4 years, to 800,000 young children in Ghana; Kenya and Malawi. RTS,S had limited efficacy, preventing 39% of malarial cases as well as 29% of severe cases of the disease. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found, however, that, if young children were given RTS,S in combination with anti-malarial drugs, there was a 70% reduction in hospitalisations and deaths. This looks promising. The World Health Organisation have consequently recommended a wide roll-out of RTS,S. They reckon it could save tens of thousands of children's lives across Africa.