This new malaria vaccine will transform our battle with the deadliest creatures on Earth | Devi Sridhar

The breakthrough has come just in time: malaria has re-emerged in my home state of Florida, and will spread further thanks to climate changeWant to guess the most dangerous animal in the world? When my team asked children in Edinburgh during a public outreach event with schools, they said sharks, alligators, spiders and lions. All good guesses, but none on target. The deadliest animal is the mighty mosquito, which kills more than1 million people a year. Almost 700 million people contract a mosquito-borne illness each year. Mosquitoes carry serious diseases like malaria, dengue fever, West Nile virus, Zika virus and chikungunya that not only kill, but also result in pain, disability and prolonged illness.Among mosquito-borne diseases, malaria is the most deadly. Scientists believe it has killed more people than any other disease spread by the insects in history. And it remains stubbornly present in the modern world: there were619,000 deaths and247m cases of malaria in 2021. African children are the main victims:96% of deaths to malaria are in Africa, and children under five make up roughly 80% of the victims. Within that region, deaths aremainly concentrated in four countries: Nigeria, DRC, Tanzania and Niger.Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of EdinburghContinue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Malaria Health World news Africa Science Source Type: news