Future use-cases of vaccines in malaria control and elimination

Malaria burden has significantly changed or decreased over the last 20 years, however, it remains an important health problem requiring the rigorous application of existing tools and approaches, as well as the development and use of new interventions. A malaria vaccine has long been considered a pos...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Melissa A. Penny, Flavia Camponovo, Nakul Chitnis, Thomas A. Smith, Marcel Tanner
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2020-08-01
Series:Parasite Epidemiology and Control
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405673120300143
Description
Summary:Malaria burden has significantly changed or decreased over the last 20 years, however, it remains an important health problem requiring the rigorous application of existing tools and approaches, as well as the development and use of new interventions. A malaria vaccine has long been considered a possible new intervention to aid malaria burden reduction. However, after decades of development, only one vaccine to protect children has completed phase 3 studies. Before being widely recommended for use, it must further demonstrate safety, impact and feasibility in ongoing pilot implementation studies. Now is an appropriate time to consider the use-cases and health targets of future malaria vaccines. These must be considered in the context of likely innovations in other malaria tools such as vector control, as well as the significant knowledge gaps on the appropriate target antigens, and the immunology of vaccine-induced protection. Here we discuss the history of malaria vaccines and suggest some future use-cases for future malaria vaccines that will support achieving malaria health goals in different settings.
ISSN:2405-6731