News that scientists have at last resolved the puzzle posed by malaria in the past centuries has been well received all over the world. The fact that Europe has endorsed the findings and a vaccine produced for the purpose by GlaxoSmithkline has been licensed by the European Medicine Agency (EMA) must have brought relief for many in Africa. By last year, not less than 20 researchers were said to be approaching a breakthrough in the quest to come up with a vaccine that could prevent the disease.
Malaria has been a major source of worry for parents, especially in Africa, who usually have the unpleasant task of burying their children lost to malaria. The young ones are the most vulnerable as they are exposed to the fury of the Plasmodium parasite responsible for transmitting the deadly ailment that claims the lives of about 600,000 young ones in Africa every year because they are yet to come up with the immunity required. The high mortality rate made malaria the leading killer disease in the continent and thus a major challenge to all – governments, employers, workers, civil society groups, medical authorities, scientists, families, traditional authorities and the general public.
In many of the least developed countries in the continent, treatment of the patients remains a huge challenge as the drugs are either unavailable or unaffordable. They are thus forced to rely on age-long herbs that have not benefited from advances made in science. While the efficacy of the herbs is not in doubt, there are genuine concerns about appropriate dosage, toxicity and side effects. There have been suggestions that multinational drug manufacturing companies in the West have blocked final endorsement of local researches, this might not fully explain the lethargy by the authorities and thus the slow pace of advances.
Malaria is not ravaging only the young ones, adults have not been spared either. Although they largely survive, so many man-hours are lost by workers who come down with it. The continent loses so much of its inadequate resources to treating the sick, thus necessitating the quest for a vaccine.
The endorsement by the European authorities is a critical step forward but it is not time to halt research. The adults, too, deserve a relief. Besides, the mosquitrix still calls for fine-tuning as it has to be regularly reinforced to be effective. Careless parents could forget to top it up, thus leading to failure.
The region deserves to free resources for the challenge of development and the scientists must continue until they achieve a total breakthrough on an ailment that was once the nemesis of colonialists and missionaries from Europe. Many took ill and died before they could receive help. And, that was at a time that there was actually no potent cure.
It is an irony that the theatre for waging the scientific war is mainly in Australia, Europe and North America; not much is being done, let alone achieved in this wise in Africa that is bearing the brunt. This attitude must change if we expect the world to respect us. African medical challenges deserve more serious attention by her scientists, backed by the governments. It is not enough to complain that research efforts were being frustrated by European authorities and the World Health Organisation. African leaders must take the lead in the crusade for relevant development. Local research efforts into other largely tropical diseases such as the sickle cell anaemia must be stepped up, while the spread of those ailments and diseases hitherto considered foreign, too, must receive adequate attention.
While we welcome this cheering news, we note that the challenge is still enormous. It is not yet time to drop the guard.
