A NEW MALARIA VACCINE: HOPES FOR SUCCESS

In spite of years of effort, andworldwide investment of billions of dollars, malaria remains a terriblescourge, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.  Preventive efforts such as treated bed nets and availabilityof safe effective treatment with Artemisinin have somewhat reduced theincidence of clinical disease and mortality.  Most recent statistics from the World Health Organization,however, show an annual incidence of 225 million cases and 817,000 deaths,mainly in young African children. For years many experts have recognized that real reductions in incidenceand mortality will require an effective vaccine, but up to now efforts havebeen stymied by the complex life cycle of the malaria parasite.  Another factor that increases theurgency for vaccine development is the appearance of resistance to Artemisininin rural areas of Southeast Asia. If that resistance pattern spreads, we will be deprived of the use ourcurrent first line treatment.

Preliminary results of the firstsuccessful large scale vaccine trial have just been released.  The RTS.S vaccine shows a 55%protection rate against all malaria episodes in vaccinated African children,and a 35% reduction in cases of severe malaria.  Although these results are preliminary, and the success rateis lower that what is achieved currently with vaccines for other diseases,these results are by far the most encouraging ever achieved for a malariavaccine.  An excellent New EnglandJournal of Medicine editorial points out that the success of the vaccine willdepend not only on efficacy and safety, but also “on ongoing efforts to makethe vaccine widely available and affordable where it is most needed.”( 2)

Ref:

1.     RTS.S.  Clinical Trials Partnership:  First Results of Phase 3 Trial of       RTS,S/ASO1 Malaria Vaccine in African Children.  NEJM2011: 1056-65.

2.     Rosenbaum,L.  A New Tool for MalariaPrevention?  A Malaria Vaccine witha Good Shot:  NEM 2011blogs.nejm.org.

Submitted by Roger Boe MD.

View UM Malaria Videos: Appeal Featured in Times Square

There are several video clips to choose from.  Take the time to view them all.

World Malaria Day is April 25th

Watch “A Killer in the Dark” on NBC Stations


“A Killer in the Dark,” produced by United Methodist Communications, is an hour-long television event hosted by actress Pauley Perrette. It chronicles how Imagine No Malaria is fighting the disease that kills a child in Africa every 45 seconds. The show will air on NBC affiliates across the country, so check your local listings for dates and times.

Help us get the word out!

Please contact your local NBC affiliate and request “A Killer in the Dark,” presented by the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission and the National Council of Churches.



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Malaria Lenten Devotional

Imagine No Malaria Lenten Devotional View as Web Page

Every day, thousands of families in Africa lose loved ones because of malaria. As we celebrate the season of Lent, we invite you to be renewed through the Imagine No Malaria Lenten Devotional. This spiritual resource will be sent via e-mail and provide a daily centering moment for each of the 40 days of Lent, connecting each of us with the people of Africa.  Sign up now

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Anti-Malaria Campaign in Sierra Leone's Bo District

Training 3,700 health workers
The launching of the Bo District’s net distribution begins with a march past health workers through the main streets of Bo.
More than 320,000 bed nets will be delivered to homes in the Bo District in the coming days.
The United Methodist Church has also funded the training of 3,700 health workers and volunteers for the net distribution. In addition to helping distribute the nets, teams of volunteers are going house-to-house throughout the country to register the number of sleeping places in each to determine how many nets each family will receive. They then issue tickets for people to take to the distribution centers to collect the nets.

Each home will receive a second visit, this time from volunteers armed with nails, hammers and ropes to make certain the nets are hung over sleeping places and to educate families on their use. Teaching proper use of the nets is essential to the success of the campaign.

Excerpt from United Methodist News Service December, 2010

Treating Malaria with Artemisinin: Successes and Concerns

One of the significant recent breakthroughs in the management of falciparum malaria has been the use of the drug artemisinin as first line therapy for this potentially fatal disease. Artemisinin is derived from sweet wormwood, a plant that has been used by the Chinese to treat malaria for more than 500 years. Artemisinin acts more quickly than other antimalarials, but has a tendency for late recurrences, and requires the combination with another agent, usually lumifantrine, to be optimally effective. This combination of artemisinin and lumifantrine is currently marketed as Coartem, which has rapidly become the worldwide treatment of choice for falciparum malaria. Large plots of land, particularly in Africa have been given over to the cultivation of sweet wormwood, and small startup pharmaceutical companies in Africa and Asia are busy refining artemisinin compounds. Although there have been periodic shortages in the past, synthetic artemisinin has been developed, and should be available in 2010. The oral form is currently recommended only for moderate or uncomplicated falciparum malaria. Rectal and intravenous forms are available which compare favorably with intravenous quinine, the current standard for the treatment of severe, complicated malaria.
Several problems with artemisinin therapy have arisen recently.
1. Lack of product uniformity. It is estimated that up to 50% of artemisinin for sale in the private sector in Africa and SE Asia is substandard, and much is counterfeit.
2. Inadequate dosage. Even though relatively inexpensive in developing countries, the cost of a three day course is often far beyond the reach of many of the poor. Treatment with a single tablet is common, and is often not given in combination with another agent. This results in a high rate of recurrence, and a high risk of developing resistance.
3. Lack of availability in the US. Returning travelers with falciparum malaria were unable to obtain the drug. Fortunately in April 2009, the FDA approved the use of artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) for uncomplicated malaria. Unfortunately, it is quite expensive, $105 for a three-day course.
4. Resistance. Falciparum that is resistant to artemisinin has appeared in SE Asia, on the border between Cambodia and Thailand. Experts feel that this is a harbinger of the development of more widespread resistance in other parts of the world.
Artemisinin is an important new weapon in the war against malaria. However, we need to be aware that in spite of intensive (and expensive) efforts to control malaria, we are not there yet. Hopefully the efforts to produce an effective vaccine will bear fruit. Meanwhile we need to support continued research, and an all out effort to contain this complicated devastating disease.
Ref: Campbell, C.C. Malaria Control----Addressing Challenges to Ambitious Goals. NEJM 361: 522-24, 2009
Roger Boe MD

New Innovation to Fight Vector Borne Disease

This News from Campaign for Fighting Diseases:

The innovation of getting mosquitoes to carry insecticides to their own larvae is proving hugely effective, according to an article in magazine SciDev.
Researchers spread an insecticide among adult mosquitoes who then transported it back to their breeding sites.
When the insecticide was placed in just - 5 per cent of mosquito resting areas, it resulted in 95 - 100 per cent of larvae dying in aquatic breeding sites.
The development offers great hope in the ongoing battles against vector-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria, especially given the stifled markets for new insecticides.

Here is the URL for the above entry: http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83459e2e769e20115712e4c9e970c

Post from "Campaign for Fighting Diseases" Blog

18 August 2009

UN confirms bed-nets not slept under, used for fishing

The UN continues to boast of millions of dollars of public money being spent on bed-nets, this time on a project in Tanzania costing $111 million.

However, the inefficiency of such schemes is infamous. Some factors are now confirmed by Ray Chambers, the UN's special envoy for malaria, who admits that people often use the nets "to catch fish".

He also confirms that "one out of two people will not sleep under a net". This blog has previously noted how people find nets uncomfortable, or simply not much use when their living conditions are particularly poor. Furthermore, they often need to be retreated with insecticides every few months.

It is no myth that they are often sold on to make fishing nets or wedding dresses.

Amusingly this story comes just days after the news that a team of peacekeepers avoided malaria entirely by - shock horror - killing as many mosquitoes as possible. The team used housefly killing machines to protect them from mosquitoes, and remarkably the infection rate plummeted all the way down to zero.

Presumably it's too late to reinvest that $111,000,000.

Posted by Julian Harris in Malaria | Permalink

Technorati Tags: bed nets, bednets, malaria, United Nations

March of Washingtons: Fighting Malaria Campaign

Washington, D.C. – The March of Washingtons – the first broad-based campaign to increase access to high-quality antimalarial drugs in Africa has just made its first donation. Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) have been delivered to Soft Power Health’s clinic in Uganda - recognized as having the highest malaria transmission in the world and currently facing a severe shortage of antimalarial drugs.

Hedge Funds vs. Malaria & Pneumonia and Africa Fighting Malaria teamed up in May 2008 to launch the March of Washingtons to help address the lack of access to high-quality antimalarial drugs for people in Africa. "The March of Washingtons is a grassroots effort to buy good quality drugs and raise awareness of bad drugs,” said Lance Laifer, founder of Hedge Funds vs. Malaria & Pneumonia.

“The idea is simple: George Washington had malaria. George Washington is on the one dollar bill. Just one dollar can buy a malaria medicine for a person in Africa and support efforts to test for substandard drugs on sale in African markets. For every dollar we raise, we will buy a high-quality malaria treatment for a person in Africa and continue to work against the prevalence of substandard drugs.”$30,000 was donated to Soft Power Health for the purchase and distribution of Coartem®, the first line treatment for malaria in Uganda. This high-quality antimalarial drug was procured at a not-for-profit average price of $1 per treatment course delivered (Coartem® is formulated for infants, children, adolescents and adults). “With the funds from the March of Washingtons we will be able to overcome a severe stock-out of Coartem® in the country and start once again to treat the many cases of malaria we see every day,” said Dr. Jessie Stone, Founder of Soft Power Health. “An African child dies of malaria every 30 seconds,” said Richard Tren, Director of Africa Fighting Malaria. “We have the tools to stop this from happening. ACTs are highly effective in treating malaria, but far too many Africans simply cannot access them. With the March of Washingtons, we are helping to overcome this and ensure that people have access to safe and effective treatment.” Further funds raised by the March of Washingtons are being used to collect and test antimalarial drugs available in African countries and to ensure that substandard and proscribed antimalarial drugs are taken off the market.

To help in the fight against malaria, hold your own March of Washingtons or simply donate to the March of Washingtons by visiting our website at http://www.marchofwashingtons.org/ --For background information on substandard drugs, see http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0002132
Contact Information: Richard Tren Director, Africa Fighting Malaria rtren@fightingmalaria.org +1 202 223 3298
Lance LaiferFounder, Hedge Funds vs. Malaria & Pneumonialaifer@gmail.com
Dr. Jessie StoneFounder, Soft Power Health Jessie@softpowerhealth.orghttp://www.softpowerhealth.org/

Malaria: looking long term

As we’ve come to expect, World Malaria Day is preceded by a plethora of stories on how many billions of dollars are spent fighting the disease.
An accompanying chorus comes from actors, footballers and any grinning celebrity who wishes to tell the world how excited they are at the prospect of rich countries buying bed-nets for poor countries.
Thankfully one report with a more balanced outlook comes in today’s Financial Times. Author Andrew Jack notes that while malaria has attracted vast amounts of funds and attention, this will largely be pointless if the root causes are not addressed. To read entire article on Campaign for Fighting Diseases blog, click here.
Posted by Julian Harris in Malaria Permalink
Technorati Tags: Andrew Jack, bed-nets, Financial Times, malaria, world malaria day 2009

New Malaria Drug Fights Resistance

April 8, 2009 
By Maggie Fox 

U.S. researchers said they had designed a new kind of malaria drug that kills the parasite that causes the disease and keeps it from becoming resistant to the drug. 

Tests in mice show the compound also helps other malaria drugs work better, the researchers reported in the journal Nature. 

Now they are looking for funding to step up development, Jane Kelly and colleagues at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center and Oregon Health and Science University in Portland said. 

© 2009 Reuters 

For full article, visit: 
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5378VZ20090408