MALARIA: Africa Fighting Malaria Updates and Events

Africa Fighting Malaria (AFM) seeks to raise awareness of the huge burden of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa and promote sensible policies for long-term solutions.

Malaria vaccine a letdown for infants An experimental malaria vaccine once thought promising is turning out to be a disappointment, with a new study showing it is only about 30 percent effective at protecting infants from the killer disease. That is a significant drop from a study last year done in slightly older children, which suggested the vaccine cut the malaria risk by about half - though that is still far below the protection provided from most vaccines. According to details released on Friday, the three-shot regimen reduced malaria cases by about 30 percent in infants aged 6 to 12 weeks, the target age for immunization. Dr. Jennifer Cohn, a medical coordinator at Doctors Without Borders, described the vaccine's protection levels as "unacceptably low." She was not linked to the study.   Read More  Other News Private Sector Drug Shops in Integrated Community Case Management of Malaria, Pneumonia, and Diarrhea in Children in Uganda Impact of pyrethroid resistance on operational malaria control in Malawi SADC Celebrates Malaria Day Events and Information December 5-7, 2012: 23rd RBM Partnership Board meeting in Daker, Senegal. January 28-30, 2013: Eighth annual meeting of the Vector Control Working Group in Geneva, Switzerland. Check out the book "The Excellent Powder: DDT's Political and Scientific History". Deadly Fake Medicines     The world's medicine supply is under attack. From Pakistan, where 120 patients died after taking fake heart medicine, to the United States, where 32 patients died and hundreds were hospitalized because of contaminated steroids, regulators are finding their defenses overwhelmed by shoddy drug companies and organized criminal groups that make fake drugs containing no active ingredients. It is estimated that at least 100,000 people die every year from substandard and falsified medicines for cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases and other ailments. Read More Multibillion-dollar Global Fund fires internal watchdog whose office found financial losses A $23-billion health fund trying to restore its image announced Thursday that it fired its top internal watchdog, whose office uncovered millions in financial losses that led some donors to withhold funding. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said in a statement its board had sacked Inspector General John Parsons "after a careful review of his performance, which was found to be unsatisfactory." The fund was shaken after Associated Press articles last year reported on the millions of dollars in financial losses revealed by Parsons' office. Read More  Also on FightingMalaria.org News AFM Articles Research About AFM Contact Us Donate to AFM Please email Africa@fightingmalaria.orgfor more information.