Medical Parasitology

Vaccines, Drug Development and Control Measures

Currently disease control and treatment of parasitic infections focuses on chemotherapy, but re-infection often occurs without continued treatment, making vaccination a far preferable option as a simple, one-step procedure to interrupt transmission. Many advances are under way in parasite genomics, as well as new vaccine delivery systems. Malaria is a subversive, ignored, yet common cause of death throughout the world. It causes over one million deaths per year, making it one of the greatest silent killers of humans. However, there are certain steps that can be taken to control its endemicity. Unlike some infectious diseases whose frequency are declining, due to prevention efforts and scientific advances in treatment and vaccines, malaria prevalence continues to rise due to wide-spread resistance to many of the current drugs. There are no successful malaria vaccines. Hence, there is an emerging need for scientific research in these fields for the well-being of mankind.