A vaccine for malaria could save millions of lives, including those of U.S. servicemen and servicewomen stationed overseas.
Bethesda?s GenVec and the U.S. Navy recently announced they are conducting human trials on an experimental malaria vaccine.
“Greater than a million children die in third-world countries to malaria each year,” said Joe Bruder, Director of Vector and Vaccine programs, GenVec. “In those areas more soldiers are lost to malaria than bullets.”
Drugs that can fight against malaria must be given repeatedly. Soldiers may forget to take them and they can be misplaced, Bruder said. “That?s why the military is so interested in a vaccine,” he said.
Malaria is a disease that causes flu-like symptoms such as high fever, chills, muscle pain and diarrhea, according to WebMD. A bite from a mosquito infected with certain parasites causes malaria, but in rare cases it can also be spread through contact with infected blood. It is most often found in Africa, Southern Asia, and Central and South America.
GenVec has been working on a malaria vaccine for four to five years, said Rick King, senior vice president of research for GenVec.
The clinical test will consist of two phases, he said. The first phase ? which began Jan. 17 ? was to determine if the product showed any unexpected safety issues.
The vaccine is designed to fight against viral diseases, parasites and bacterial diseases. The vaccine components target the liver and blood stream to fight the malaria parasite directly.
