Paving the way for a global malaria vaccine

Malaria impacts India more than anywhere else in southeast Asia, but relief could be on the way if the early promise of vaccines in development is fulfilled.

Malaria remains a deadly disease around the world, primarily affecting children below the age of five. In southeast Asia, India is bearing the brunt, accounting for 80 percent of the region’s malaria burden. However, the nation’s investment and support for control and elimination programmes is beginning to pay off, as India’s vaccine research and development begins to offer signs of hope.

Malaria parasites have a complex life cycle and we still don’t fully understand the immune response to infection. What we know is that people who are repeatedly exposed to malaria develop immunity to the disease. Because malaria immunity can be acquired, it suggests a malaria vaccine would be possible. But the complexity of the malaria parasite makes developing a vaccine against any stage of the parasite a formidable challenge. Injecting irradiated sporozoites (an early stage of the malaria parasite that infects liver cells) or transferring antibodies from malaria-immune adults can protect others from infection.