Malaria

Week Eight Case Study: Malaria

Society of Developing Countries SOC300

What is the Problem Being Addressed?

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been making sizable grants to the Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI), a group who is desperately trying to find a vaccine that can help guard against malaria. Malaria is the leading cause of death among children in African nations, killing one in five children under the age of five (Gates Foundation 2006). The disease is spread by mosquitos and although personal protection and caution is taken, such as spraying with pesticides, sleeping under a tent made of netting, etc, it is still easily contracted. A vaccine would end the nearly 2,000 daily deaths (Gates Foundation 2006) that occur in Africa due to this disease.

Where is this Problem Being Addressed?

The disease is most violent in African nations. There are many regions that are affected differently, however. Some areas are affected seasonally and are intense, while other areas are “low-level and chronic” (Gates Foundation 2006). The attempted vaccine would need to be tested across many regions in Africa and once proven to work would have to be licensed by many individual countries before it could be implemented as a required vaccine. According to the report by the Foundation, it is often difficult to determine who has regulatory oversight for products such as these in developing countries. Although the Foundation is based in the United States, the FDA would not be involved as it does not affect citizens of the United States.

What Goals does the Foundation Seek to Achieve?

The Foundation is trying to make a difference in the death rate amongst young children in the African countries. The vaccine they had developed at the time of the report, August 2006, would only provide partial protection, and although this is better than no protection at all, they are continuing to develop something that could very well end the malaria disease as a concern to...