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No Problems in Tests of Malaria Candidate Vaccine

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Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)

July 19, 2002
Posted to the web July 19, 2002

Manhica (Mozambique), 19 Jul (AIM) - Tests and research on a candidate malaria vaccine, which started two weeks ago in the southern Mozambican district of Manhica, are going according to plan.

The vaccine, designated RTS,S/AS02, has been developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Biologicals of Belgium. Studies have already been undertaken on this candidate vaccine in the Gambia, Kenya, Belgium and the USA, and the results have been promising.

During a visit by Prime Minister Pascoal Mocumbi to the Manhica Health Research Centre on Thursday, the researchers told him that no adverse situations, arising from the candidate vaccine, have been detected so far.

Speaking to reporters after his visit, Mocumbi said that from what he was told by the technicians, and from his own findings, he concludes that this is a good opportunity for the training of Mozambicans in this research field.

"Here we encourage those in research to advance and make their work sustainable, that is, to train Mozambicans to enable them to continue with this research work", said Mocumbi.

He noted that, with this study, Mozambicans may learn how to use natural resources in the field of medicine for the cure of other diseases.

The tests on the malaria vaccine started on 1 July and, since then, 60 children have been vaccinated. Of these, 30 received the product being tested, whereas the other 30 received a control vaccine (against hepatitis B).

According to Ricardo Thompson, one of the researchers, three days after the vaccination, the technicians visited the children at their homes to ascertain that they were not suffering any adverse effects.

Thompson told AIM that at this stage "we are essentially testing the vaccine's safety".

"We will have a second stage, depending on the results on the product's safety, where we will test its efficacy", he said.

Besides the Research Centre, Mocumbi also visited a number of health units in Manhica, including a health post in the area of Palmeiras, in the 3 de Fevereiro administrative post, and the Health Centre in Manhica town.

At the health post, he said that he found that the work there "is well organized, despite the shortage of materials", but he also found some "shortcomings", including lack of an "organized dialogue" with the local community.

"We recommended that they study the best way to organize themselves and carry out such a dialogue", said Mocumbi.

He explained that "our rule is that health should be promoted by the people themselves, but they can only do this if they receive information, from health professionals, through regular dialogue".

Besides malaria, the Manhica Research Centre is also working on medicines for pneumonia.

Mocumbi noted that the example of this centre shows that it is possible to carry out research and actions against poverty at the same time, "giving the government evidence to allow it to work out strategies, based on proven facts".

"In the specific case of the Manhica centre, it is undertaking treatment while researching to find the ways to solve, once and for all, the question of prevention, through a vaccine", he said.

The Manhica research centre, that started operating in 1996, is funded by the Spanish International Cooperation Agency (AECI), and is training 10 Mozambican technicians.