A Colombian scientist claims a new malaria vaccine will be 95% effective.
In an interview with Caracol Radio, Colombian scientist Manuel Elkin Patarroyo claims that a new malaria vaccine will be 95% effective. His team took 25 years to develop the vaccine and it has potential to reach many people.
The vaccine has been successfully tested on monkeys and Patarroyo’s team will begin testing on humans in June or July next year.
“Everything we achieved has been in the name of Colombia and all of humanity…We always insisted that the vaccine would be Colombian and that it is a type of donation made in Colombia”, said Patarroyo.
Patarroyo stressed that if the vaccine is used for commercial purposes it should not cost more than $1.50. “That way people who need it most can use it…for example, in Sub-Saharan Africa. Every year, 3 million people worldwide die of this disease, of which 1.5 million are children.”
The vaccine against malaria was developed at the Colombian Institute of Immunology with the support of private companies and academic institutions. “Sadly, we didn’t get support of the government. The University of Rosario paid our salaries. However, this does not decrease the profound love and patriotism I feel. This has to keep being a Colombian discovery for humanity”, said Patarroyo.
Patarroyo believes the methodology employed to create the vaccine against malaria will help developing other vaccines. Currently, he is working on developing a vaccine against tubercolosis.