Immunization against malaria

: Malaria is a great endemic infectious disease, as well as HIV and tuberculosis, responsible world-wide for millions of deaths every year, especially in children. Despite vector control intensification, significant epidemiological improvement and arrival of new and effective antimalarials, malaria remains a major public health issue. The development of a vaccine is still a public health priority because it would considerably modify malaria epidemiology in a relatively near future if associated with vector control and improvement of diagnosis and treatment, in the sixties, several studies have assessed vaccine-candidates targeting different stages of Plasmodium falciparum cycle with different approaches depending on targets. Some aiming a reduction of morbidity and mortality, others a transmission disruption (through vaccine specific of the pre-erythrocytic stage using the circumsporozoite protein with promising phase 3 studies). Other vaccine targets are being studied with hopefully an effective knowledge of the immunological mechanisms.