A new tool to prevent malaria shows promise: Antibody drugs
Washington PostJUL 2022
The Spin
Narrative A
This study is a massive development for millions of Africans — including children and pregnant women — as well as travelers to the continent. The first treatments have already shown profound efficacy, and researchers are now looking into developing shots. This could be a massive breakthrough in providing relief across malaria hot spots.
Narrative B
While this news is certainly a cause for celebration, many issues must be dealt with before we can begin thinking about distributing antibodies as an anti-malarial treatment. It still takes too long to administer this drug intravenously, and children still need to be tested. Cautious optimism is warranted, but there's a long way to go.
Metaculus Prediction
There is a 44% chance that global malaria mortality rates will be reduced by 90% when compared with 2015 rates, by 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
