While in the process of choosing what to write about for
this blog post, I decided that I would like to write about something that
everyone was familiar with and from a recent date. For this reason, I found an article on
Malaria written November 9, 2012. We’ve
talked about Malaria a number of times in class and its effects on the world
population. The name of this article is
“Malaria Vaccine Candidate Gives
Disappointing Results” by Donald G. McNeil Jr. and it can be found in the New
York Times at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/10/health/malaria-vaccine-candidate-produces-disappointing-results-in-clinical-trial.html
.
This article discussed the Gates Foundation’s undying
efforts to find an effective vaccine to immunize people from Malaria. The most recent vaccine clinical trial proved
not so much a failure as a building block.
The vaccine yielded only about a third fewer infections than a control
group. When researchers from
GlaxoSmithKline were asked about whether or not they would press on, they said
that they would do so because, “the
number of children who die of malaria is so great that even an inefficient
vaccine can save thousands of lives.”
Though the new
trial was “is less than we’d hoped for,” said Moncef Saloui, chairman of
research and development at Glaxo, “…if a million babies were vaccinated, we
would prevent 260,000 cases of malaria a year. This is a disease that kills
655,000 babies a year — 31 percent of that is a very large number.”
Bill Gates agreed
with Saloui in that the results were lower than first expected, but they’re
making progress in a very difficult field.
He continues by saying that developing a vaccine for a parasite is not
easy. RTS, S actually contains a protein
found on the parasite’s surface, which then provokes an immune reaction in
order for the parasite to detach from the host.
Malaria is ever changing and evolving and a cure remains elusive. Though some have become immune, there never
seems to be any consistency. For now all
we can do is push for better vaccines.
Before I had even started reading the article, I knew that Malaria
was a pandemic from what we learned in class.
What this means is that Malaria is consistently a large threat to large
populations across the globe. What
interested me about this article is that Malaria is similar to viruses and
diseases that affect us. Here in
Massachusetts, we have the Triple E and West Nile viruses, which are also
carried by mosquitos. From first hand
experience, I have seen the spray trucks spraying to rid neighborhoods of
potential virus carrying mosquitos. It
was interesting to think of what the reactions of the Massachusetts population
would be if , instead, we had Malaria being carried by our mosquitos. This article was very informative and I would
recommend anyone to read it. It stated
facts that gave a good idea of what is being done to prevent deaths from
Malaria.
Eric, this is a very interesting article. I was intrigued by the section in which you stated '"Though the new trial was “is less than we’d hoped for,” said Moncef Saloui, chairman of research and development at Glaxo, “…if a million babies were vaccinated, we would prevent 260,000 cases of malaria a year. This is a disease that kills 655,000 babies a year — 31 percent of that is a very large number.”' These numbers were surprising to me, as I thought malaria was more under control than expressed in your article. It reflects on us as Americans in a sense, that we do not feel affected by malaria, as its main victims come from Africa. It is important to raise awareness for the disease through articles like this one by Donald G. McNeil Jr. so that people can get a better understanding of the attempts to eradicate disease.
ReplyDeleteI liked how this article stayed positive, stating that even an ineffective disease could save thousandths of lives. This reminded me of our Smallpox unit and how one, small vile of vaccine could cure thousandths with the effective small needle the missionaries used. I think the campaign to eradicate Smallpox is great motivation for those feeling malaria will never be a complete success. These heroes' dedication, determination, and drive set the bar for others to follow in their footstep. I believe malaria can be eradicated worldwide through people's passions to end this disease once and for all.
I find it interesting that even with such advanced modern technology, malaria remains one of the most lethal diseases in history. While there is little doubt that such measures as mosquito nets have somewhat lowered the death toll, 665,000 children dying each year is still far too many. Such preventive measures as malaria pills or quinine are also ineffective when trying to eliminate malaria in some of the most remote inhabited areas on Earth. Nevertheless, we have already succeeded in eliminating smallpox, which should be an inspiration for epidemiologists everywhere not to give up. I am thankful that of any cause that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation could support, they have chosen research into a malaria vaccine.
ReplyDeleteI found it amazing that even with a vaccination malaria still managed to kill 655,000 babies. Even with are technology we were only able to prevent 31% of deaths. The number of deaths is an number so large its hard for us to fully understand. It shows how hard it will be for us to completely eliminate malaria like we did for smallpox. If we use some the techniques we did for the erdication of smallpox we may be able to the same for malaria.
ReplyDeleteJust like Marissa stated,I loved how Eric chose an article that was rather positive for such a tragic situation. I applaud Glaxo and the contributors that fund the program as they put $300 million dollars into this project just in the hopes that they may put a dent in the number of baby Malaria deaths.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked to read that the disease kills 655,000 babies a year but am happy that Glaxo was able to save about 31% of those lives just by giving out vaccines. Although a cure to Malaria seems to be "elusive," Glaxo knows that their only hope is to keep on doing research and distribute vaccines to young infants. In a situation so dire it seems very difficult to keep upbeat and hold hope , yet I believe that the Glaxo organization, people like Bill and Melinda Gates, and the PATH Malaria Vacine Initiative keep the positivity alive and progress going! I hope that one day a greater break through can be made!