An international team of researchers has verified the efficacy of combining one of the vaccines being tested against malaria and one of the drugs used against seasonal malaria.
The researchers, who have published the results of their work in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseaseshave concluded that there is a two-thirds reduction in malaria cases, including the most severe cases, and in the number of deaths, when the vaccine and the drug are combined.
The work that has been carried out over the last five years has made it possible to monitor more than 5,000 children and verify that the effectiveness of a vaccine (the RTS,S/AS01E) and from one of the seasonal malaria drugs (the RTS,S) is maintained during that period and is much higher than the use separately.
This study (in phase 3) has been coordinated by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) in collaboration with various research centers in Burkina Faso, Mali and the United States.
As reported by the research centers in a note released today, the results of this research have contributed to the fact that the World Health Organization (WHO) decided that year to recommend the use of that vaccine in settings of moderate to high malaria transmission, including its use in areas with highly seasonal malaria or in areas of perennial malaria transmission with seasonal peaks.
The new findings have confirmed the potential of seasonal vaccination to provide a high level of protection in young children during the first five years of life, a period when this protection is needed.
The researchers have observed that in addition to this combination (vaccine and seasonal anti-malaria drugs), the children who participated in the study also used mosquito nets, so protection was even greater, and they have emphasized the importance of guaranteeing access to multiple safety tools. prevention to reduce the burden of disease and deaths from this disease.
2023-08-23 16:22:16
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