Nigerian scientist Nasiru Shua’ibu may save the world from malaria fever as the professor in the Biochemical Parasitology Department of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has invented the vaccine.
Shua’ibu told the News Agency of Nigeria that the new vaccine differs from others that are currently using.
The professor, who is currently working with the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Japan, added that Nigerians may soon use this vaccine.
He said: “In a simple term that a layman can understand, the content of this malaria vaccine research is difficult, but let me try if I could simplify it, it is called DNA vaccine.
“It is a new technology for discovery and delivery of vaccine against any infectious disease that was developed in the early to mid-1990s.
“The DNA of the malaria parasite was extracted and the portion of the DNA that is tested to be a good vaccine candidate is subjected to molecular biology methods which are used to produce a lot of the DNA.”
Mr. Shu’aibu further described the method of developing the vaccine: “Then a method of cloning is now used to insert the DNA into a vehicle that will carry the DNA into either animal or human body.pic-7-abu-lecturer-develops-new-malaria-vaccine-in-zaria-kaduna-state
“It is then injected into the body of the animal or human and it eventually enters the cells of the animal in the same way a virus enters and infects cells.
“The injected DNA now uses the cells in the body to produce chemicals that will prevent malaria from infecting the body,” said.
According to the scientist, the vaccine was different from any of the approved vaccines like polio and other EPI vaccines.
He also added that the method was also different from the other malaria vaccine (RTS,S/AS01).
Nigeria forms the highest malaria burden in Africa and in the world.
Malaria is a key international public health problem, causing an estimated 207 million infections worldwide and 627,000 deaths in 2012, according to the World Health Organization World Malaria report 2013.
While these numbers are reducing, the numbers of cases of malaria in travelers has been increasing steadily for the past 4 years.
However, despite all the efforts, many areas remain malaria endemic, and the use of prevention measures by travelers is still inadequate.
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