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Malaria Journal
Published in: Malaria Journal 1/2007

Open Access 01-12-2007 | Opinion

Malaria vaccine efficacy: the difficulty of detecting and diagnosing malaria

Authors: Wendy Prudhomme O'Meara, B Fenton Hall, F Ellis McKenzie

Published in: Malaria Journal | Issue 1/2007

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Abstract

New sources of funding have revitalized efforts to control malaria. An effective vaccine would be a tremendous asset in the fight against this devastating disease and increasing financial and scientific resources are being invested to develop one. A few candidates have been tested in Phase I and II clinical trials, and several others are poised to begin trials soon. Some studies have been promising, and others disappointing.
It is difficult to compare the results of these clinical trials; even independent trials of the same vaccine give highly discrepant results. One major obstacle in evaluating malaria vaccines is the difficulty of diagnosing clinical malaria. This analysis evaluates the impact of diagnostic error, particularly that introduced by microscopy, on the outcome of efficacy trials of malaria vaccines and make recommendations for improving future trials.
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Metadata
Title
Malaria vaccine efficacy: the difficulty of detecting and diagnosing malaria
Authors
Wendy Prudhomme O'Meara
B Fenton Hall
F Ellis McKenzie
Publication date
01-12-2007
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Malaria Journal / Issue 1/2007
Electronic ISSN: 1475-2875
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-6-36

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