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April 26, 2002

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Vaccine, Mosquito Nets Target Malaria"

USA Today (www.usatoday.com) (04/25/02) P. 9D; Healy, Michelle

Kenya has begun field trials of an experimental malaria vaccine, according to health officials there, who announced the trials as part of their observation of Africa Malaria Day.  Western Kenya is rife with malaria, so the vaccine will be tested in adults in that region, said officials from the Malaria Vaccine Initiative, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, the Kenya Medical Research Institute, and the U.S. Agency for International Development, which are co-sponsoring the activity.  The international group has also started an effort to compel African leaders to reduce or remove import taxes on pesticide-coated mosquito nets, which are often effective in reducing the incidence of malaria by 50 percent in children.

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