It will be tested on volunteers without a history of infection.
The Brazilian Medicines Agency, Anvisa, has authorized the launch of human clinical trials of the world’s first malaria vaccine caused by Plasmodium vivax , the parasite responsible for most malaria cases in Brazil. This vaccine is produced with 100% Brazilian technology.
In a press release, the Ministry of Health explained that the vaccine, called Vivaxin, is the result of research conducted by the Centre for Vaccine Technology (CTVacinas) of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). This vaccine will benefit from funding of 12 million Brazilian reals for Phase I, Phase II and Phase III clinical trials.
According to the Department, the Phase I clinical trial will assess the safety of the vaccine, the potential reactions to its administration and its ability to stimulate an immune response in 48 participants aged 18 to 59 years without a history of infection. Clinical follow-up will last 360 days.
” This breakthrough in research is an important step forward and paves the way for a new form of disease prevention, which in 2025 represented 118,037 cases nationally,” the department said in a press release.
The two malaria vaccines currently recommended by health authorities have been developed to target another species of parasite responsible for the disease, Plasmodium falciparum in Africa, rather than Plasmodium vivax , predominant in America and Asia.
Disease
Malaria is an infectious disease caused by a parasite of the genus Plasmodium , transmitted to man by the bite of female mosquitoes Anopheles infected, particularly active at dawn and dusk. According to the Ministry, this is not a contagious disease. “A sick person cannot transmit malaria directly to another person,” he said.
“Everyone can get malaria. People with repeated infections may develop partial immunity, with little or no symptoms. However, sterilising immunity – which provides full clinical protection – has not yet been observed,” the ministry said.
If not treated properly, a person with malaria may be a source of infection for months, or even years, depending on the parasite species in question, indicates the release.
In Brazil, most cases of 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 regions, which include other Brazilian states, despite the small number of reported cases, the disease cannot be neglected, as the lethality rate in this region is higher than in the Amazon region,” concludes the press release.