Uploaded September 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Malaria has been around for a thousand years and affects 200 million people globally. But right now, several promising vaccines are in development or trials. If approved, a vaccine could change the world forever.
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Before COVID, many other diseases plagued our world...and they haven’t simply gone away. In fact, the current pandemic has actually made many other epidemics even harder to treat and control.
But there’s good news on the horizon, because recent breakthroughs are bringing us more immunity than we’ve ever had before to one of the world’s oldest and deadliest infectious diseases. That disease is malaria. It affects over 200 MILLION people and kills about half a million people every year.
It’s actually one of the world’s leading causes of death for children under 5. And it’s been around for literal millenia. Like, we have evidence for this parasite as far back as the neolithic period, and we still don’t have a handle on it...why?!
See, when we make a vaccine, we’re trying to get your body to protect itself by introducing it to the parts of the pathogen that would make you sick, what’s called an antigen. For COVID, that’s the viral spike protein. But parasites are generally much more complex pathogens than bacteria or viruses, so those antigens are more complicated. But there are some on the horizon.
#vaccines #malaria #epidemiology #science #seeker #elements
Read More:
Malaria vaccine shows promise — now come tougher trials
nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01096-7
It took researchers less than a year to develop a roster of effective vaccines against COVID-19, but half a century of toil has still not yielded a vaccine against malaria that meets the World Health Organization’s efficacy goal. Part of the problem is low investment in preventing a disease that predominately affects low- and middle-income countries.
Malaria vaccine hailed as potential breakthrough
bbc.com/news/health-56858158
A malaria vaccine has proved to be 77% effective in early trials and could be a major breakthrough against the disease, says the University of Oxford team behind it.
Malaria is notoriously hard to vaccinate against. A new vaccine technology might change that.
vox.com/future-perfect/22307700/malaria-rna-vaccines-covid-19
Despite decades of research, only one malaria vaccine so far has passed muster. It has fairly low efficacy — perhaps around 30 percent — and requires a series of four shots, which makes it a challenge to administer in poor, rural areas where malaria often hits the hardest.
____________________
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Seeker empowers the curious to understand the science shaping our world. We tell award-winning stories about the natural forces and groundbreaking innovations that impact our lives, our planet, and our universe.
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Malaria has been around for a thousand years and affects 200 million people globally. But right now, several promising vaccines are in development or trials. If approved, a vaccine could change the world forever.
» Subscribe to Seeker! bit.ly/subscribeseeker (then hit the little 🔔 icon and select "all.")
» Watch more Elements! bit.ly/ElementsPlaylist
» Visit our shop at shop.seeker.com
Before COVID, many other diseases plagued our world...and they haven’t simply gone away. In fact, the current pandemic has actually made many other epidemics even harder to treat and control.
But there’s good news on the horizon, because recent breakthroughs are bringing us more immunity than we’ve ever had before to one of the world’s oldest and deadliest infectious diseases. That disease is malaria. It affects over 200 MILLION people and kills about half a million people every year.
It’s actually one of the world’s leading causes of death for children under 5. And it’s been around for literal millenia. Like, we have evidence for this parasite as far back as the neolithic period, and we still don’t have a handle on it...why?!
See, when we make a vaccine, we’re trying to get your body to protect itself by introducing it to the parts of the pathogen that would make you sick, what’s called an antigen. For COVID, that’s the viral spike protein. But parasites are generally much more complex pathogens than bacteria or viruses, so those antigens are more complicated. But there are some on the horizon.
#vaccines #malaria #epidemiology #science #seeker #elements
Read More:
Malaria vaccine shows promise — now come tougher trials
nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01096-7
It took researchers less than a year to develop a roster of effective vaccines against COVID-19, but half a century of toil has still not yielded a vaccine against malaria that meets the World Health Organization’s efficacy goal. Part of the problem is low investment in preventing a disease that predominately affects low- and middle-income countries.
Malaria vaccine hailed as potential breakthrough
bbc.com/news/health-56858158
A malaria vaccine has proved to be 77% effective in early trials and could be a major breakthrough against the disease, says the University of Oxford team behind it.
Malaria is notoriously hard to vaccinate against. A new vaccine technology might change that.
vox.com/future-perfect/22307700/malaria-rna-vaccines-covid-19
Despite decades of research, only one malaria vaccine so far has passed muster. It has fairly low efficacy — perhaps around 30 percent — and requires a series of four shots, which makes it a challenge to administer in poor, rural areas where malaria often hits the hardest.
____________________
Elements is more than just a science show. It’s your science-loving best friend, tasked with keeping you updated and interested in all the compelling, innovative, and groundbreaking science happening all around us. Join our passionate hosts as they help break down and present fascinating science, from quarks to quantum theory and beyond.
Seeker empowers the curious to understand the science shaping our world. We tell award-winning stories about the natural forces and groundbreaking innovations that impact our lives, our planet, and our universe.
Visit the Seeker website seeker.com/videos
Elements on Facebook facebook.com/SeekerElements
Subscribe now! youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=dnewschannel
Seeker on Twitter twitter.com/seeker
Seeker on Facebook facebook.com/SeekerMedia
Seeker seeker.com
