New Vaccine Against Malaria
An effective vaccine is soon to emerge to eradicate malaria in much the same way as small-pox was completely wiped out from the face of the earth.
The pioneering efforts of an Indian-born medical researcher, Dr. Wassim Siddiqui, working at the Tropical Medical Research Centre, Hawaii University, have borne fruit: The Malaria-vaccine is getting ready for mass use.
The vaccine requires further improvement before it could be an effective preventive for malaria.
In 1977 the vaccine developed by Dr. Siddiqui was tested on monkeys and with subsequent expertise of Japanese biomedical scientists, the vaccine was refined, eliminating its side effects.
China, which has made rapid strides in developing several potent drugs against malaria, has offered to assist Dr. Siddiqui in evolving a final formulation of the vaccine. Dr. Chen Zen Ren, head of the National Vaccine Serum Institute at Beijing, had a detailed discussion with Dr. Siddiqui early this year.
