Malaria vaccine effective

The trial of a malaria vaccine in Burkina Faso has revealed promising results, protecting young children from being infected by the parasite for a second season. Most malaria deaths are in children under five in sub-Saharan Africa. We hear from one of the research team Professor Katie Ewer, about how difficult it is to create a malaria vaccine. It’s hoped that the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer in Pune, India, will make enough of the vaccine to make it available to every child who needs it in the next few years. A new study has shown that forehead thermometers are not as accurate at picking up high temperatures in black patients as they are in people with white skin. Family doctor Ann Robinson explains how worrying symptoms could be missed in some patients, leading to health inequalities if we rely on devices which are only tested on white skin. And how walking can help to reduce our risk of dementia – and also help tired parents get their crying babies off to sleep. Presenter: Claudia Hammond

Producer: Paula McGrath (Picture: A child receives a malaria vaccination at Yala Sub-County hospital, Kenya, in October 2021. Photo credit: Brian Ongoro/AFP/Getty Images.)