Bill Gates expects malaria vaccine within three years
Last updated 1/26/2010 2:41:31 PM
Bill Gates expects malaria vaccine within three years
It's a disease which kills a million people a year. But there's some encouraging news today from Microsoft founder Bill Gates who says he believes a vaccine could be just three years away.
Mr Gates is a leading campaigner in the fight against malaria – his foundation has spent billions of dollars researching prevention of the condition so he's an authority on the very latest progress.
"We have a vaccine that's in the last trial phase - called phase three," Mr Gates told the BBC World Service. "A partially effective vaccine could even be available within three years."
He added that a fully effective vaccine will take five to ten years but fears developed nations may use their foreign aid budgets to pay for the cost of tackling climate change instead. "Climate change is very important, it is an issue money should go to. It just shouldn't come out of health aid budgets," he said. "I just want to make sure that that funding doesn't come by reducing the funds for Aids, drugs or vaccines, which, after all, not only do they save lives but it's this improved health that actually gets a country to reduce its population growth.
"And, in the long run, for all these environmental issues, having a population that's not growing so rapidly is what will allow us to live on a sustainable basis."
Three years away may seem like three years too long to wait for a vaccine that could save a million people a year, predominantly children. But better late than never and let's hope that in time malaria can be eradicated forever.
Read also >> Bill Gates Foundation have pledged $1.5 billion to deliver vaccines to poor together with five governments