Reuters announced today that after 24 years of research a GSK scientist (Joe Cohen) has managed to make a viable vaccine against malaria. Here's the link:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/18/us-malaria-vaccine-scientist-idUSTRE79H59220111018
After initially jumping out of my chair with joy at the prospect of the elimination of a disease which kills in excess of 1,000,000 people a year my inner pessimist (yes he exists) started to pick at the problems which could arise from this update.
Beyond the problem of having the resources to deliver this medicine (should it work and become an available vaccine) to the people it affects most in rural Africa and Asia, the problem of misinformation about medicine and particularly vaccines has been an issue which persists even into the modern world.
Almost everyone has heard of Jenny McCarthy's allegation that vaccines are somehow linked to autism, a claim which she has popularized through her affluence and influence. On the other end of the spectrum many teens consider OTC and some popular Rx drugs to be completely safe and without any potential for side effects.
Getting the drug (or vaccine in this case) out to fix a problem is one thing, but without fixing misinformation we in the health professions are failing to address a major gap in the effectiveness of our therapies. This, i feel, is definitely an area in which interactive medicine can expand on the national and global level.
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