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VOA慢速英语|WHO to Release First Malaria Vaccine in Africa

发布者: x-kai | 发布时间: 2025-1-23 23:56| 查看数: 39| 评论数: 0|


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[00:00.04]The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the next step

[00:05.40]in its release of the world's first approved malaria vaccine.

[00:10.20]The release is expected to take place

[00:13.04]in three African countries: Ghana, Kenya and Malawi.

[00:19.20]But the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,

[00:22.16]a vaccine supporter, has said it has concerns.

[00:27.52]WHO said last fall the vaccine was a "historic" development

[00:32.80]in efforts to control malaria.

[00:35.24]But the Gates Foundation told The Associated Press this week

[00:39.96]that it will no longer financially support the vaccine.

[00:44.68]Some scientists warn the decision could leave

[00:47.68]millions of African children at risk.

[00:50.68]It could also weaken future efforts

[00:53.64]to solve difficult problems in public health.

[00:57.80]The vaccine is called Mosquirix

[01:00.48]and is sold by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

[01:04.88]It is about 30 percent effective and requires four doses.

[01:11.32]The malaria vaccine has "a much lower efficacy

[01:14.76]than we would like," said Philip Welkhoff.

[01:18.08]He is the Gates Foundation's director of malaria programs.

[01:23.08]The foundation is ending its support

[01:26.04]after spending more than $200 million

[01:29.44]and working more than 20 years to get the vaccine.

[01:33.80]Welkhoff also said the vaccine is too costly

[01:37.44]and difficult to provide.

[01:40.76]Welkhoff said the foundation's money

[01:43.52]would be better spent on other malaria vaccines and treatments.

[01:47.76]Some of the resources that might have gone

[01:50.92]into providing the vaccine to countries

[01:53.56]have been redirected to buy new mosquito nets.

[01:58.12]Alister Craig is with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

[02:03.40]"It's not the greatest vaccine in the world,

[02:06.36]but there are ways of using it that could have a big impact," he said.

[02:12.24]The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic hurt efforts to stop malaria.

[02:18.44]Malaria killed more than 620,000 people in 2020

[02:23.08]and caused 241 million cases,

[02:26.48]mainly in children under five in Africa, Craig said.

[02:32.00]"There could be another vaccine approved in about five years,

[02:35.88]but that's a lot of lives lost if we wait until then," Craig said.

[02:42.12]There is another vaccine currently being developed

[02:45.16]by Oxford University.

[02:47.32]BioNTech, creator of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine,

[02:51.92]also plans to use the messenger RNA technology

[02:55.96]it used for the coronavirus for a malaria shot.

[03:00.00]But that project has just begun.

[03:04.52]Another big problem is production.

[03:07.32]GSK said it can only produce about

[03:10.84]15 million injections per year until 2028.

[03:16.12]WHO estimates that to protect the 25 million children

[03:20.76]born in Africa every year,

[03:22.92]at least 100 million doses every year might be needed.

[03:28.20]"All the money in the world" would not help the vaccine's

[03:31.60]short-term supply problems, said Welkhoff.

[03:35.68]He noted that the Gates Foundation

[03:38.40]continues to support the Gavi vaccine alliance.

[03:42.12]Gavi said it is spending nearly $156 million

[03:46.60]to make the vaccine available in the three African countries.

[03:52.08]The vaccine, even with its problems,

[03:54.72]is still greatly desired in Malawi.

[03:59.12]Nolia Zidana said she hopes to get her two young sons

[04:03.56]the shot after seeing malaria sicken them several times

[04:07.44]— and surviving it herself.

[04:11.20]"Growing up with my parents and siblings,

[04:14.08]we have been sick from malaria all the time," she said.

[04:18.60]Dr. Michael Kayange is with Malawi's Ministry of Health.

[04:23.92]He urged everyone in the country

[04:26.44]to take whatever measures they can to stop malaria.

[04:30.40]Immunization itself is unable to stop the disease

[04:35.00]and people should take many measures, he said.

[04:39.56]"Even just by sleeping under a mosquito net,

[04:42.68]you have played your role

[04:44.28]in reducing the malaria burden in the country," he said.

[04:48.84]I'm Dan Novak.

________________________

Words in This Story

efficacy — n. the power to produce a desired result or effect

impact –n. a notable result or effect

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