Malaria: deploying a candidate vaccine (RTS,S/AS02A) for an old scourge of humankind

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by the protist Plasmodium spp. and it currently kills more than one million people annually. The burden of malaria is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. The parasite’s resistance to commonly used anti-malarial drugs has worsened the situation in the poorest countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 100 countries suffer from endemic malaria episodes. In addition to numerous control measures and treatments, several vaccines are at different research stages and trials. We have assayed RTS,S/AS02A, a pre-erythrocytic candidate vaccine that has shown promising protection levels in phase IIb trials in Mozambique. The vaccine is directed against the sporozoite form of the parasite, which is injected by the mosquito Anopheles spp. The vaccine induces a strong antibody response and stimulates Th1 cells-a subset of helper T cells that participates in cell-mediated immunity. Recent interest by international funding agencies has provided new inputs into initiatives and programs to fight malaria, which, under normal welfare and adequate social development conditions, is a curable disease.