Almost two to three million people die of malaria every year but yet there is no vaccine for the illness.

In the Journal Nature Medicine, Oxford University scientists who were the part of an International team reported that Malaria’s virus-based shot showed good results in mice.

It is expected that the initial small-scale human safety trials of the vaccine will be started next year.

Some other researchers are also working to develop an effective malaria vaccine while many other vaccines are in trials in humans in many malaria-stricken countries.

According to Oxford scientists the new vaccine may prove more effective against the severe stage of the illness known as “blood stage”. In this stage numbers of parasite sharply increase in the bloodstream and cause death.

Malarial vaccine

The scientists believe that their vaccine has the ability to trigger a huge immune response against the parasite at blood stage.

Two viruses: adenovirus (a common cold virus) and a pox virus have been involved in this method. These viruses have been engineered to make them harmless and they produce a protein on their surfaces that is very similar to one found on the outside surface of the malaria parasite.

Two different types of powerful immune response to the malaria antigens are produced by the vaccines and it is expected they would boost the immune system to respond aggressively in their fight against malaria parasite.

The researchers found that it decreased the growth of the parasite 70% to 85% in mice.

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