Malaria

Question 1

According to the WHO, how many people are estimated to be living in areas at risk of malaria transmission?

Answer 1

3.4 billion people, in 106 countries.

Question 2

How many cases of malaria were recorded in 2013, and how many people died as a result?

Answer 2

198 million, which killed around 584,000 people.

Question 3

What part of the world contains the highest concentration of malaria cases?

Answer 3

Sub-Saharan Africa, where 82% of cases and 90% of deaths occurred in 2013.

Question 4

Which demographics are the most affected by malaria?

Answer 4

Children under the age of 5, and pregnant women.

Question 5

Malaria is the sixth biggest killer for what type of countries?

Answer 5

Low-income countries.

Question 6

What are some of the symptoms of malaria?

Answer 6

Fever, headache and vomiting.

Question 7

Where do mosquitoes breed?

Answer 7

In stagnant water.

Question 8

When is transmission greatest?

Answer 8

During and just after the rainy season.

Question 9

What is the temperatures that the parasites require to develop inside the mosquitoes?

Answer 9

16 degrees celcius - 32 degrees celcius. This is why the disease is mostly concentrated in the tropics and subtropics.

Question 10

Why do coastal areas show to have a high prevalence of malaria?

Answer 10

Less seasonal variation in temperature, alongside lower altitudes and higher relative humidity.

Question 11

When do symptoms of malaria most commonly appear?

Answer 11

Between 10 - 15 days after the mosquito bite.

Question 12

At which altitudes and rainfall levels does malaria transmission begin to fall?

Answer 12

Altitudes above 1,500m and rainfall below 1,000mm

Question 13

What percentage of total global burden due to malaria is concentrated among the poorest 20% of the global population?

Answer 13

58%

Question 14

What percentage of the total global DALYs are lost to the richest global 20%?

Answer 14

0.2%

Question 15

What is a DALYs?

Answer 15

Disability-adjusted life years.

Question 16

Why is malaria a common cause of morbidity and concentrated mostly in the worlds poorest countries?

Answer 16

Lack of investment in R&D into new drugs and vaccines.
Limited existing programmes to control the disease.

Question 17

According to the WHO, around how many people die each year of malaria?

Answer 17

400,000 people

Question 18

Aside of health and education, what is the importance of eradicating malaria to the UN?

Answer 18

It is the key to success of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals because malaria is known to increase poverty.

Question 18

In 2015, around how many children under five died of malaria?

Answer 18

around 303,000.

Question 19

How does malaria effect the economy?

Answer 19

Less people will be working due to taking sick leave or take time off to look after family members but also effects people who cannot afford to treat malaria. Businesses suffer from a lack of productivity and staff absenteeism.

Question 20

According to the WHO, how much is malaria estimated to cost African countries annualy?

Answer 20

US$12 billion or £9.6 billion

Question 21

Between 2010 and 2015, what percentage did new malaria cases fall by?

Answer 21

21%

Question 22

What percentage of Tanzania’s population live in the malaria zone?

Answer 22

90%

Question 23

How many malaria cases and deaths has incesticide-treated mosquito nets prevented?

Answer 23

2 billion cases and 12 million deaths globally.

Question 24

How many failed malaria vaccines were there before the R21 vaccine began r&d?

Answer 24

142

Question 24

What percentage did incesticide-treated malaria nets reduce child death from malaria by? Why is this significant?

Answer 24

Less than 20%. It means it is not as efficient as a vaccine could be.

Question 25

RTS-S had what percentage of efficacy?

Answer 25

40%.

Question 26

When was RTS-S approved by the WHO?

Answer 26

2022.

Question 27

Why was RTS-S not widely used as a malaria vaccine?

Answer 27

40% efficacy alongside expensive production and limited supply made it difficult to advertise to countries in need, often LICs.

Question 28

Why were the WHO not set completely on the RTS-S vaccine?

Answer 28

The 40% efficacy rate did not meet the WHOs 75% efficacy by 2030 goal.

Question 29

What significance does Serum Institute of India (SII) have on vaccinations globally?

Answer 29

They are the largest vaccine manufacturer globally. 2/3 of all babies across the globe get at least 1 of SII's childhood vaccines.

Question 30

Which other vaccine did the malaria R21 vaccine team work on producing?

Answer 30

The AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

Question 31

What was SII's role in the production and distribution of the malaria R21 vaccine?

Answer 31

Provided funding for Phase 2 of the vaccine. Provided funding for 30 million doses of the vaccine, risking $100 million, in order to charge $4 a dose.

Question 32

Phase 2 of the malaria R21 vaccine, composed of 450 children in Burkina Faso, with what percentage of efficacy? Why was this significant?

Answer 32

77%. This met the WHO goal of having a malaria vaccine which met 75% efficacy by 2030.

Question 33

What percentage of Burkina Faso's population contract malaria annually?

Answer 33

50%

Question 34

Why was SII able to fund the malaria R21 vaccine?

Answer 34

The multi-billion dollar company was able to produce at such large purchasing economies of scale, enabling widely accessible and low costs whilst contracting a healthy profit due to the extremely large demand for a malaria vaccine that worked.

Question 35

In 2021, Phase 3 of the malaria R21 vaccine began in which countries?

Answer 35

Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Mali and Kenya.

Question 36

How many children were vaccinated during Phase 3 of the malaria R21 vaccine?

Answer 36

Around 5,000 children.

Question 37

What was the efficacy rate of Phase 3 of the malaria R21 vaccine?

Answer 37

73%

Question 38

Which country was first to approve the malaria R21 vaccine in 2023? And which countries followed suit not long after?

Answer 38

Ghana was first to approve, followed by Nigeria after a few days, and eventually Angola too.

Question 39

When was the malaria R21 vaccine approved by the WHO?

Answer 39

October 2023.

Question 40

How does occupation affect malaria rates?

Answer 40

Outdoor workers such as those in agriculture are more exposed to mosquitoes. Similarly those working near irrigation waters or stagnant water sources are exposed to larger numbers of mosquitoes.