These results concern one phase of the studies that CISM is conducting at the Ilha Josina Machel, and in Taninga, both in the Manhica district, involving about 200 children, said Pedro Aide, the institution's chief clinic researcher. He declined to reveal the nature of the results.
He was addressing Mozambican reporters from the southern Maputo, Gaza, and Inhambane, and the central Sofala provinces, who took part in a seminar in Nhamatanda, in Sofala, last week, on reporting about malaria.
The event was organized by the Malaria Consortium, that recently organized a similar event in Namaacha, Maputo, on the border with Swaziland.
Another event of the kind will take place in Nampula, in the northern region of the country in September.
Declining to reveal the results of the research, Aide, said that he talked about it to the reporters, only to give them an idea of the steps that CISM has been taking toward the creation of a malaria vaccine.
'What I can say is that the results will be published before the end of this year', he said.
He explained that the tests were done on children of vaccinable age (before the age of one) as recommended by the Wide Vaccination Programme (PAV), of the Health Ministry.
If the results prove positive, CISM will have taken a big step toward a vaccine against malaria in children under the age of one. The efforts of this and other health research centres across the world are to find a malaria vaccine by 2010.
In 2004, CISM divulged results of tests that showed a 30 per cent efficacy against malaria, meaning a 45 per cent against infections, and 60 per cent against severe forms of the disease.
This was described as the most serious test ever in the African Continent against malaria, which encouraged the Mozambican researchers in Manhica.
SOURCE: AIM
