Malaria vaccines
Malaria vaccines
Malaria vaccines are vaccines that have been developed to prevent malaria. The term "malaria" is derived from the Italian words "mal aria," meaning "bad air," as it was once believed that the disease was caused by poor air quality.
Pronunciation
Malaria: /məˈlɛəriə/ Vaccines: /vækˈsiːnz/
Etymology
The term "malaria" comes from the Italian words "mal" and "aria," meaning "bad air." This term was used because it was once believed that the disease was caused by poor air quality. The term "vaccine" comes from the Latin word "vaccinus," meaning "from cows," as the first vaccines were developed using cowpox to provide immunity to smallpox.
Related terms
- Plasmodium falciparum: This is the most common type of malaria parasite and is responsible for the majority of malaria-related deaths worldwide.
- Plasmodium vivax: This is a less severe form of malaria that is more common in Asia and Latin America.
- Mosquito: Mosquitoes are the primary vectors for malaria, transmitting the disease to humans through their bites.
- Antimalarial medication: These are drugs used to prevent and treat malaria.
- Immunization: This is the process by which a person is made immune or resistant to an infectious disease, typically by the administration of a vaccine.
- Parasite: An organism that lives in or on an organism of another species (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the other's expense.
Malaria vaccines
Malaria vaccines aim to prevent malaria by eliciting an immune response against the malaria parasite. The first malaria vaccine, RTS,S, was approved for use by the European Medicines Agency in 2015. It is a recombinant protein-based vaccine that uses a portion of the Plasmodium falciparum parasite's protein to stimulate an immune response.
Other malaria vaccines are in various stages of development, including whole-parasite vaccines, DNA vaccines, and vaccines targeting different stages of the parasite's life cycle. These vaccines aim to provide long-lasting protection against malaria, reduce the severity of the disease in those who do contract it, and ultimately contribute to the eradication of malaria.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Malaria vaccines
- Wikipedia's article - Malaria vaccines
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