Show 60: Excerpt - The Malaria Vaccine Initiative

 Bagamoyo, Tanzania - The first child to be vaccinated at the start of the Phase 3 efficacy trial of RTS,S.
David Poland/PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative

IN AFRICA MALARIA takes the life of a child every 45 seconds, and millions have died from this disease over the decades. But a new vaccine - hailed as one of Time Magazine's Top Ten medical breakthroughs of 2011 - is showing encouraging initial results. The RTS,S vaccine has reduced the rates of malaria by approximately half in children ages 5 to 17 months according to intial trial results from last month.

Kisumu, Kenya - A child being vaccinated at part of the RTS,S Phase 3 efficacy trial at the Siaya District Hospital site.
John-Michael Maas/Darby Communications

Leading the trials is the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; it's a global program started in 1999 that aims to eradicate malaria worldwide.

Kisumu, Kenya - A trial participant about to be vaccinated.
John-Michael Maas/Darby Communications

Kids These Days! producer Sarah Gonzales spoke with David Poland at PATH to learn about the vaccine's initial trial results in some some of Africa's youngest children.