A groundbreaking study which is set to be done in Blantyre could transform Malawi’s fight against pneumonia and meningitis, two of the country’s leading public health challenges.
The study, which is called PneumoProtect, is being led by Dr. Brenda Kwambana-Adams, of the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme (MLW), and Dr. Giuseppe Ercoli,from University College London and will focus on understanding how the human immune system responds to Streptococcus pneumoniae—the bacterium that causes pneumonia and meningitis.
Unlike current pneumococcal vaccines, which are costly and only available to children under five,PneumoProtect study aims to contribute to the development of a more affordable vaccine for adults.
“This study will fill an important knowledge gap as there is limited information on the burden of pneumococcal disease among adults especially those living with HIV”, Dr. Kwambana-Adams stated.
She further expressed optimism that local data generated will give Malawi’s Ministry of Health and policymakers a stronger evidence base for introducing adult vaccination strategies.
The research is scheduled to be carried out at Ndirande Health Centre for six months starting in September this year.
By Alufisha Fischer
