Development of vaccines to prevent malaria in pregnant women: WHO MALVAC meeting report

Abstract

The major public health consequences of malaria in pregnancy have long been acknowledged. However, further information is still required for development and implementation of a malaria vaccine specifically directed to prevent malaria in pregnant women and improve maternal, fetal and infant outcomes. The WHO Malaria Vaccine Advisory Committee (MALVAC) provides guidance to the WHO on strategic priorities and research needs for development of vaccines to prevent malaria. Here we summarize the discussions and conclusions of a MALVAC scientific forum meeting on considerations in the development of vaccines to prevent malaria in pregnant women. This report includes brief summaries of what is known, and major knowledge gaps in disease burden estimation, pathogenesis and immunity, and the challenges with current preventive strategies for malaria in pregnancy. We conclude with the formulation of a conceptual framework for research and development for vaccines to prevent malaria in pregnant women.

Keywords::

• malaria in pregnancy
• malaria vaccines
• placental malaria

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the University of Barcelona for their assistance with hosting, coordinating and organizing this meeting. They also acknowledge all participants of the 2007 MALVAC meeting.

Disclaimer

Authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this publication and they do not necessarily represent the decisions or the stated policy of the WHO.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The University of Barcelona provided funding support for this consultation. Funding support is also gratefully acknowledged from the European Commission DG RTD, The Wellcome Trust and Fondazione Monte dei Paschi di Siena. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.