Some 16,000 children in Africa would be vaccinated and followed under a Phase Three trial that would determine the efficacy information required for the RTS,S vaccine and the ability of the vaccine to prevent malaria and its severe form in children.
The Kintampo Health Research Centre, a trial site, is overseeing the vaccination of 1,200 children out of the 16,000. Eleven sites in Ghana , Kenya , Tanzania , Gabon , Malawi , Mozambique and Burkina Faso are taking part in the clinical trials.
A Phase Two study which focused on the safety profile of the vaccine ended successfully and the Phase Three is a pre-licensure stage being conducted in a large number of children aged 5-17 moths and 6-12 weeks, before the vaccine would be put before regulators for final approval before use.
The ultimate aim of the Phase Three study is to develop a malaria vaccine that can be given to infants as part of the Expanded Program of Immunization to offer protection against malaria.
The trials are being run under a project, the Malaria Clinical Trials Alliance (MCTA), established with a 17 million dollar facility from the Gates Foundation to conduct clinical trials of new drugs and vaccines to fight malaria.
Dr Araon Offei, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of Health Services, said the search for a malaria vaccine to protect children and pregnant women had been a long drawn out war.
Source: Modern Ghana