Tuesday 25 April marks World Malaria Day. Malaria is a life threatening blood disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. There were over 212 million cases of malaria worldwide in 2015 and an estimated 429,000 people died from malaria, including 303,000 under fives.
The World Health Organization aims to significantly reduce the number of cases of malaria worldwide by 90% by 2030 and immunology is playing its part in making this happen. The world’s first vaccine against malaria, the RTS,S vaccine, is due to launched in Malawi, Ghana and Kenya in 2018. Additionally, there are over 20 other vaccine candidates currently under development.
Malaria represents a major health burden to developing countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa and the BSI wants to improve understanding and appreciation of the importance of research into this disease.
Highlights of our resources
- Our malaria infographic (see below)
- Malaria BiteSized Immunology article
- Malaria teaching resources for schools
- Clinical & Experimental Immunology paper on “Sickle cell trait is associated with controlled levels of haem and mild proinflammatory response during acute malaria infection” (Open access)
Follow our social media channels to find out more:
- BSI Twitter channel - @britsocimm
- BSI Facebook page
- BSI Instagram page - britsocimm
- Clinical & Experimental Immunology journal Twitter channel - @CEIjournal
- Immunology journal Twitter channel - @immjournal
