Scientists Unveil Malaria Vaccine

Researchers said Wednesday that they have used DNA from the parasite that causes malaria to produce a vaccine that they hope will prevent the disease.

The new vaccine uses bits of the DNA to stop the parasite’s growth in the bloodstream and should stop transmission of the infection, the researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore said.

They wrote about their discovery in the April issue of the journal Infection and Immunity.

Many forms of malaria have become resistant to drugs, and most experts agree that a vaccine is the only hope for millions of affected people. Attempts to develop a malaria vaccine have been disappointing. An earlier effort from Colombia, still being tested around the world, has had limited success.