Foundation Funds Scientists To Develop Malaria Vaccine

Prince Ned Nwoko Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation, says it is funding a group of scientists, researchers and advisers to develop an anti-malaria vaccine towards eradicating malaria in Africa.
The Chairman of the NGO, Prince Ned Nwoko, in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, explained that the vaccine is expected to boost immunity against malaria.
“There are different things we are working on, one of them is the research into the possibility of finding a vaccine, anti-malaria vaccine.
“This is where the strength of what we are doing lies, because my foundation is doing that anyway and we have a team of researchers and advisers put together already with a specific instruction, `discover a vaccine for malaria`.
“There are vaccines for many other ailments, from chickenpox to smallpox, polio, name them; so why not malaria?
“Everyone seems to have accepted that malaria is part of us, but it doesn’t have to be, so we need to get vaccine research going, which we are doing now’’.
Nwoko said that he visited the Antarctica in a quest to gather knowledge on the anti-malaria vaccine and also to create broader awareness for the project.
According to him, Antarctica houses a vast amount of scientists from diverse parts of the world including the US, UK, France, Germany, South Africa and India.
“Antarctica was a natural choice for two reasons, because it is an unknown place, it is far and a very extreme place, and I wanted to create awareness for this project, both for Nigerians and those outside Nigeria.
“I also knew that in this project we need scientists, we need researchers, and I knew there were science bases in Antarctica.
“There are 12 science research stations in Antarctica; American based, United Kingdom based, French, German, South African, Indian to mention a few, and I knew I had to meet with them.
“The most useful for my purpose were the Indian doctors/scientists because they also have malaria in their country, so my trip to Antarctica served its purpose of meeting with the scientists to discuss and also meet the people who will carry out the spraying,” he said.
Nwoko said just like any project that has to succeed needs a long and short term strategy, the Eradicating Malaria in Africa Project is not an exception.