Why is developing a vaccine for Malaria so difficult?

Can you tell what is a vaccine?

A vaccine usually contains a form of the disease causing virus or bacteria sir

Some vaccine do, not all

It will contain a strain - either weakened or killed of the disease causing microbe

Yes

So what does it do?

It reminds the immune system of the body that such a microbe is detrimental to the body and should be destroyed if the immune system encounters it.

Right, except for the fact that the body does not know it is detrimental it knows that it is foreign

What is antibody?

Antibodies are like markers. they join with their pairing antigens to make a complex this complex makes the antigen visible to the white blood cells ie the immune system.

What is an antigen?

Any foreign body that triggers formation of antibodies

What is immunity?

Immunity is simply the body's defence mechanism- defence against diseases, infections etc

Can you elaborate in terms of antigen and antibody in terms of white blood cells?

If you are a baby and you encounter a foreign body for the first time the immune system reacts a little late then it produces antibodies which marks the foreign body such a marked complex is attacked by the white blood cells. If the white blood cells win the battle then the foreign body is neutralized baby is saved. Now the memory cells keeps a data base of the antigen so if the baby is infected second time it acts fast thus the battle is easily won the baby got immunized.

A vaccine is a 'mimic' of the real pathogen. It makes the body produce antibodies that will help identify the pathogen as if it is not new. So even the first time the body fights as if it is not the first time and easily wins over the pathogen.

Sir, what about malaria? Are we not able to develop vaccine for it because of gene mutation?

For a good vaccine, we need a good mimic. Malarial parasite offers difficulty in various levels. It is highly evolving or changing that it is proving difficult to mimic. Even if successfully mimicked it morphs or changes so that the body does not recognize it again. One more thing of the malarial pathogen is that it enters the body cell itself and hides successfully.  The last thing, which is not so forthcoming as that of the above two is that it is proving difficulty to evaluate a vaccine's efficiency when experimenting and finding out an effective vaccine for malaria.

Last statement not clear sir, please elaborate?

For testing which antigen is the best vaccine, one needs to have a measurable parameter right?

Good vaccine - high marks

Not so good - low marks

some thing like that

It seems scientist finding it difficult to measure such a parameter for malarial vaccine candidate antigens. Such a parameter which is measurably helping in identifying vaccines for other diseases somehow is not varying enough for the malarial vaccine experiments or may be the right vaccine is not yet found

How vaccine is different from medication?

Medication for treatment is post disease/infection. - CURE

Vaccine is for building immunity to prevent the disease/infection in the first place - PREVENTION

So if you are vaccinated will you get fever or not?

Few vaccines would definitly cause fever- DPT , BCG

Yes, because the vaccine is also an antigen and it will trigger a fever. A fever that your body can overcome since the vaccine does not cause the disease.

Afever that will enable your body to remember the pathogen and the next time even if the real pathogen infects it will overcome the disease. You may still or most likely get a fever but the disease will be overcome mostly as your body is better prepared. Ofcourse if the body's immune system is overcome the disease will affect even if vaccinated then you must need medicinal support.

Lastly sir, there are certain additional factors that is hindering development of a malarial vaccine. Its regarding "variety" of strains. how far does that pose a challenge,?

For many variation of strains we need various mimics. When it is difficult to find one it is all the more difficult to find many. These variations/strains are the very reason it is difficult to mimic. There is the last difficulty in measuring the vaccine efficiency parameter.

Please exemplify workings of a Cooperative Group/Society works and how it differs from a SHG.

Self help groups are more impromptu they sometimes mature into a cooperative also. SHG is smaller, not very structured, internal lending is allowed, no act so far. Cooperatives have an act, larger, financial deal with external agencies etc. SHG when expands they register under cooperatives only.