Here’s an important development: the World Health Organization has announced that it will soon begin testing a vaccine against malaria in three nations in Africa: Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. All have high incidences of the disease, which kills half a million people a year, and those nations also have strong prevention programs already in place. The vaccine, which will be free, is not expected to work so well as to eradicate the malady; scientists are hoping for a positive enough response that it can be added to existing prevention methods until that miracle drug is found. Malaria is spread by the world’s most dangerous animals, mosquitoes, which, doctors say, may be turning resistant to the insecticide of today’s malaria nets protecting people as they sleep. (Associated Press)
