AMMREN Celerates world Malaria Day

It has been observed that malaria researchers in Africa are not accorded the expected recognition by their states despite the significant strides they have made in finding solutions to the malaria scourge facing the continent.This negligence is contrary to the Abuja Declaration, in April 2000 where African governments pledged to halve the rate of mortality of malaria in a decade.

This came out at the just ended Strategic Planning Workshop of the African Media and Malaria Research Network, AMMREN, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in apparent reference to the 2008 Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation that four of Africa’s health research centre that are also involved in malaria clinical trials have received.

It was further noted that the neglect of the health research institutions by African governments have driven the institutions to seek external funding thus making such partners owners of their research outcomes. However in the absence of funding from governments of their states, African researchers are doing rather well through the generous funding from Western donors such as the Bill Gates Foundation.

The African journalists at the Tanzania workshop were however happy at the news that despite the limited resources available to them, African researchers will soon come out with a malaria vaccine (Vaccine RTS, s) by the year 2011.

According to Dr. Seth Owusu-Agyei of Ghana’s Kintampo Health Research Centre, tests on 2022 children under 5 years show an efficiency of RTS, S in the order of 30% on simple cases and 50% in severe cases (acute). He said the RTS, S malaria vaccine is the most advanced attempt at the moment even though scores of vaccines against malaria are being developed around the world. But again, the effectiveness of each depends on the type of microbe (pathogen) referred.

Dr. Owusu-Agyei said African researchers have been able to track down the Plasmodium falciparum, the most active in Africa. According to experts, there are four or five types of Plasmodium. The laboratory GlaxoSmithKline takes care of the component for the manufacturing of the RTS, S vaccine.

African Health Research Centers involved in malaria vaccine trials plan to begin the third important phase of the vaccine trials at the end of this year for completion in 2010, so as to obtain WHO and other competent bodies license in 2011 and begin administering the product the same year.

However it is not too late for African governments to lend supporting hands to African researchers by assisting them financially with their various researches on malaria and other diseases. For besides the loss of lives malaria also affects the African continent