Anti-Malaria Vaccination could be Widely Available by 2016

British pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline is seeking approval of the world's first anti-malaria vaccination. GSK scientists have reportedly spent nearly three decades developing the vaccine and now hope it will be widely available by 2016.

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people worldwide every year. Although most anti-malaria medication is highly effective, scientists say a vaccine is the only way to truly eradicate the disease.

In a trial conducted in Africa, the vaccine, known as ‘RTS,S’ almost halved the number of malaria cases in young children and reduced the number of cases in infants by approximately 25%. It was Africa's largest clinical trial yet, involving almost 15,500 children across seven countries.

“A malaria vaccine has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives in the developing world,” said Chetan Chavda of UK-based travel health website, clinidirect.co.uk. “Anti-malaria tablets, mosquito nets and strong insect repellents containing DEET are all effective methods to protect against malaria, but a widely available vaccine could affect people’s lives enormously.”

The trial’s findings were presented at a medical meeting in Durban, South Africa and indicated that 18 months after being vaccinated, children aged 5–17 months had a 46% reduction in the risk of malaria.