Abstract
BackgroundA transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV) to prevent malaria-infected humans from infecting mosquitoes has been increasingly considered as a tool for malaria control and elimination. This study tested the hypothesis that a malaria TBV would be acceptable among residents of a malaria-hypoendemic region.MethodsThe study was carried out in six Spanish-speaking rural villages in the Department of Loreto in the Peruvian Amazon. These villages comprise a cohort of 430 households associated with the Peru-Brazil International Centre for Excellence in Malaria Research. Individuals from one-third (143) of enrolled households in an ongoing longitudinal, prospective cohort study in 6 communities in Loreto, Peru, were randomly selected to participate by answering a pre-validated questionnaire.ResultsAll 143 participants expressed desire for a malaria vaccine in general; only 1 (0.7%) expressed unwillingness to receive a transmission-blocking malaria vaccine. Injection was considered most acceptable for adults (97.2%); for children drops in the mouth were preferred (96.8%). Acceptability waned marginally with the prospect of multiple injections (83.8%) and different projected efficacies at 70 and 50% (90.1 and 71.8%, respectively). Respondents demonstrated clear understanding that the vaccine was for community, rather than personal, protection against malaria infection.DiscussionIn this setting of the Peruvian Amazon, a transmission-blocking malaria vaccine was found to be almost universally acceptable. This study is the first to report that residents of a malaria-endemic region have been queried regarding a malaria vaccine strategy that policy-makers in the industrialized world often dismiss as altruistic.
Highlights
A transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV) to prevent malaria-infected humans from infecting mosquitoes has been increasingly considered as a tool for malaria control and elimination
Proof of concept of a malaria transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV) to block the transmission of malaria from human host to mosquito vector was first demonstrated in two landmark studies in the 1970s [1, 2]
In this study of the acceptability of a herd-immunityfocused, transmission-blocking malaria vaccine that does not directly protect recipients against malaria infection, we found that members of six malaria-hypoendemic communities in the Amazon River basin in Loreto, Peru, overwhelmingly reported such a vaccine to be acceptable for themselves and their children
Summary
A transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV) to prevent malaria-infected humans from infecting mosquitoes has been increasingly considered as a tool for malaria control and elimination. Proof of concept of a malaria transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV) to block the transmission of malaria from human host to mosquito vector was first demonstrated in two landmark studies in the 1970s [1, 2]. From almost the very start, the essential concept of a TBV has been considered—and sometimes dismissed as—altruistic, or only as adjunct to an anti-infection or anti-disease vaccine [3, 4]. A purely transmissionblocking vaccine would not directly confer protection against malarial disease to the recipient. Instead, it would prevent infection of the vector by stimulating antibody production against mosquito-infective forms, such as gametocytes, zygotes, and ookinetes. A TBV would prevent infection of mosquitoes, resulting in reduced transmission at the population level [22,23,24,25,26,27,28]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
