The World Health Organisation on Wednesday allowed the “widespread use” of the world’s first vaccine against malaria, a common mosquito-borne disease that claims more than four lakh lives every year.
This vaccine is able to prevent cases of malaria in only 30 per cent of the cases, and the quest for more effective vaccines is still underway.
Malaria is known to be one of the deadliest diseases in human history, having claimed millions of lives. Even the disease kills over four lakh every year, according to WHO.
Malaria is most endemic in Africa, with Nigeria, Congo, Tanzania, Mozambique, Niger and Burkina Faso together accounting for over half the yearly deaths.
India : The country badly affected by the disease.
Deaths due to malaria has come down sharply last few years officially these are only in hundreds but infections continue to be in millions.
The best prevention of malaria remains the use of mosquito nets. However, this does nothing to eradicate the disease.
These parasites are also able to hide inside human cells to avoid being recognised by the immune system.