Professor of Parasitology at the University of Alcalá (UAH) and director of the Master's Degree in Humanitarian Health Action (UAH-Doctors of the World)
In a clinical trial of nearly 5,000 children aged 5-36 months, a new malaria vaccine - called R21/MatrixM - reduced symptomatic cases by 68-75% over the following year. According to the authors, the vaccine will be inexpensive and could contribute to a substantial reduction in malaria suffering and deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. The results of the phase 3 trial are published in The Lancet.
The Centre for the Coordination of Alerts and Health Emergencies (CCAES) reported yesterday that last February Germany reported two cases of dengue (one confirmed and one probable), along with four cases compatible with epidemiological links, in residents of Germany who had travelled to Ibiza during the incubation period. One of the potential vectors of dengue is the Aedes albopictus mosquito, which was first detected in Ibiza in 2014. According to the CCAES, the risk of new autochthonous cases appearing in Ibiza, "at this time of low vector activity, is considered low".
An experimental malaria vaccine has shown protection for at least six months, according to a clinical trial in 112 adults in Burkina Faso. The results are published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended granting marketing authorisation for the tetravalent dengue vaccine (live, attenuated) Takeda. The vaccine is intended to prevent disease caused by dengue virus serotypes 1, 2, 3 and 4 in people aged four years and older. Although an approved vaccine already exists, according to the EMA, this quadrivalent vaccine shows increased protection in children and people over 45 years of age.