Dec 8 (Reuters) - Researchers have developed the most effective vaccine yet against malaria, saying it protected up to 65 percent of infants for at least six months in two tests in Africa. Here are some facts about malaria: -- Malaria is caused by a parasite, Plasmodium falciparum or P. vivax, that enters the blood when an infected mosquito bites a victim. -- Symptoms include fever and a flu-like illness, including vomiting, diarrhea, anemia and jaundice. Serious P. falciparum infections can cause kidney failure, seizures, coma and death. -- As the malaria parasite spends part of its life in red blood cells, malaria can also be transmitted through blood transfusion, organ transplant or the shared use of needles or syringes contaminated with blood. -- Many efforts have been made to make a vaccine but so far no one has been able to develop a vaccine 100 percent effective against any parasite, including the malaria parasite. -- Older, quinine-based drugs have become increasingly ineffective to treat malaria, which killed more than 880,000 people globally in 2006, according to the World Health Organization. -- Newer, better drugs are based on artemisinin, derived from sweet wormwood. -- Most programs now depend on prevention using insecticide-treated bed nets and careful use of sprays. (Reporting by Maggie Fox; Editing by John O'Callaghan)
Relatives cover the grave of cholera victim Betty Mubata during her burial at Chitungwiza Unit L cemetery, 27km (17 miles ) south of the capital Harare, December 8, 2008. South African ...
