Study on efficacy of malaria vaccine soon

Accra, April 24, GNA - A study on how many mild and severe malaria cases could be prevented by the candidate malaria vaccine, known as RTSS, being tried, is to commence next month.

Some 1,500 children aged between five to 17 months and six to 12 weeks are to be chosen from the Kintampo area in the Brong Ahafo as study participants in the trial, which is to be conducted by the Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC), in the Brong Ahafo Region. They included 16,000 children to be selected across Africa under the phase three trial of the candidate malaria vaccine. The study would take place in 11 countries under the auspices of Malaria Clinical Trials Alliance, a body providing technical assistance to research centres in Ghana, Tanzania, Gabon and other countries on the continent.

Dr. Kwaku Asante Poku, a researcher at the KHRC, speaking in Accra, said an earlier phase two trial, had been concluded and tested for the safety of the RTSS vaccine.

He, however, said that the phase three trial was to test for effectiveness of the vaccine and the possibility of incorporating it into the Expanded Programme on Immunization as a routine vaccine for the prevention of malaria among children.

Dr. Asante Poku was delivering a paper on malaria vaccine trial at a day's workshop to mark this year's World Malaria Day, which was on the theme, "Counting Malaria Out".

The programme was organized by the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), with support from the INDEPTH Network, a research organization, which runs demographic surveillance sites. Dr Daniel Ansong of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), who spoke on some aspects of severe malaria, said delays in treatment, inappropriate treatment and failure to recognize and manage complications could lead to severe malaria attacks, especially on children and bring about convulsion, anaemia and cerebral malaria, a form of attack on the brain.

Dr Alex Dodoo, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, said there was the need to make malaria drugs accessible and affordable in order to ensure effective case management of the disease. Mr. James Frimpong of the Malaria Control Programme, said the global target was to reduce the malaria burden by 75 per cent by the year, 2015.

Mrs Charity Binka, Executive Secretary of AMMREN, urged the media to tell the malaria story by putting out information that the disease could be prevented, treated and controlled. 24 April 09