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Malaria: Human trials approved for 100% Brazilian vaccine

Brazil’s drug authority Anvisa has authorized the start of human trials for the world’s first vaccine against malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax, the parasite responsible for most cases of the disease in Brazil. The vaccine is produced using 100 percent Brazilian technology. In a statement, the Ministry of Health explained that the vaccine, called Vivaxin, is the result of research conducted by the Vaccine Technology Center (CTVacinas) at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). The technology is set to receive BRL 12 million in funding for Phase I, II, and III clinical trials. Notícias relacionadas:Brazil to produce chikungunya vaccine.Campaign to administer 89,000 vaccine doses in indigenous territories.Brazil donates 690,000 vaccine doses to Venezuela.According to the ministry, the Phase I clinical trial will assess the vaccine’s safety, potential reactions to its administration, and ability to stimulate an immune response in 48 participants aged between 18 and 59 who have no prior history of infection. Clinical follow-up will last 360 days. “This advance in research represents a milestone and opens the door to a new form of prevention against the disease, which, in 2025, accounted for 118,037 cases nationwide,” the ministry said in a statement. The two malaria vaccines currently recommended by health authorities were developed to target another species of parasite that causes the disease, Plasmodium falciparum, which is predominant in Africa, rather than Plasmodium vivax, which is predominant in the Americas and Asia. The disease Malaria is an infectious disease caused by a parasite of the genus Plasmodium, transmitted to humans through the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, which are most active at twilight, dusk, and dawn. According to the ministry, it is not a contagious disease. “A sick person is not capable of directly transmitting malaria to another person,” the ministry emphasized. “Anyone can contract malaria. Individuals who have experienced repeated infections may develop partial immunity, exhibiting few or even no symptoms. However, sterilizing immunity - which confers total clinical protection - has not yet been observed,” the ministry noted. If not treated properly, a patient with malaria can be a source of infection for months or even years, depending on the parasitic species in question, the statement reads. In Brazil, most cases of the disease are concentrated in the Amazon region, which includes the states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, and Tocantins. “In the non-Amazon region, which includes the other Brazilian states, despite the low number of reported cases, the disease cannot be overlooked, as the case fatality rate in this region is higher than in the Amazon region,” the statement concluded.