The preliminary results from a new vaccine suggest that the vaccine cuts the number of malaria cases in half. 6,000 children between the ages of 5 and 17 months were vaccinated, and in a 12-month period there was a 50% reduction in malaria cases. The vaccine, specifically designed for children’s developing immune systems, could combat the mosquito-borne illness which kills hundreds of thousands a year.
The results put scientists closer to a major breakthrough in the fight against malaria. If progress continues and the results of the vaccine remain positive, the World Health Organization says it could be implemented as early as 2015.
