The animal that kills the most people worldwide is not a large predator, but a small insect, the "mosquito," which is less than 1 cm long. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 720,000 people die each year from infectious diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. Among them, more than 600,000 are malaria cases. Most victims are children in underdeveloped countries in Africa.
Malaria is also posing an emergency in the country. Malaria-carrying mosquitoes that breed in hot, humid environments are increasingly spreading domestically alongside rising temperatures. Consequently, the malaria epidemic is also accelerating. Gyeonggi Province issued its first malaria alert in Paju City on the 1st, followed by alerts in Goyang City and Yeoncheon County on the 8th.
The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry has analyzed that domestic companies possess global competitiveness in malaria diagnostics, enabling preparedness in case of emergencies. Various vaccines and treatments are also being developed abroad, suggesting that early diagnosis can prevent large-scale infection outbreaks. A new vaccine targeting malaria spreading in Korea is also under development.
◇Infection cases surged to the 700s in 2023
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the number of malaria patients in the country surged from 294 in 2021 to 420 in 2022 and 747 in 2023. Last year, 713 people were infected. As climate change expands the range of mosquito activity, the risk of malaria infection is also increasing.
So far this year, 240 malaria infection cases have been reported. Considering that malaria typically peaks from July to September, it is predicted that many cases will emerge again this year. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, during weeks 22 to 26 (from May 25 to June 28), nationwide malaria infection cases hovered in the 20s, but there was a sharp increase to 41 cases during week 27 (from June 29 to July 5), coinciding with the onset of a heatwave.
Malaria-carrying mosquitoes that breed in hot, humid environments are increasingly spreading domestically alongside rising temperatures. In particular, malaria, which typically emerges between July and September, has been appearing earlier and more intensely recently.
◇mRNA vaccine and treatment for infants released
Malaria is caused by parasitic protozoa transmitted by mosquitoes. When a mosquito drinks human blood, it enters the human body along with saliva. The protozoa spend an incubation period in the liver, multiply, and then invade red blood cells, causing chills, fever, diarrhea, headaches, and muscle pain. If it penetrates the brain, it can lead to a comatose state.
Countries around the world have developed vaccines to combat malaria since the 1940s, but only two vaccines have been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO): "Mosquirix" by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in the UK and "R21" from Oxford University. They were approved in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
Both vaccines induce an immune response by injecting proteins (antigens) from the malaria protozoa into the human body, prompting the production of antibodies. However, both were developed targeting tropical malaria prevalent in Africa and are ineffective against Samil malaria occurring in East Asia, including Korea. Recently, several locations are working on developing preventive vaccines that can counter Samil malaria.
Vaccines using different methods are also under development. A research team from Oxford University in the UK has added a vaccine encapsulated in microcapsules to the existing vaccine injection. The vaccine in the capsules is slowly released, providing additional vaccination effects. While the existing vaccines require 2 to 3 injections, this method only requires one. Clinical trials on humans are currently being prepared.
Researchers from BioNTech and George Washington University in the U.S. are developing a vaccine using messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) instead of protozoan proteins. This method is similar to the COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna.
◇Korean diagnostic kits supplied overseas... AI diagnostics also under development
Therapeutics have been developed in a much greater variety than vaccines. Treatments developed by companies like France's Sanofi, Switzerland's Novartis, and the UK GSK are being used with FDA approval. Novartis developed the world's first treatment for newborns and infants. "Coartem Baby" is the first malaria treatment for newborns and children weighing 2 to 5 kg, and it received formal approval in Switzerland on the 9th.
Diagnostic technology is also rapidly advancing. In the country, diagnostic kit companies such as SD BIOSENSOR, Humasis, and Seegene are supplying malaria diagnostic kits to overseas markets.
In particular, Noeul has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) for malaria diagnosis called "MAL Lab." The AI analyzes microscopic images to locate red blood cells infected with malaria protozoa. This technology has reduced diagnostic times by about half compared to existing kits, and improved accuracy. It is the only digital microscopy-based malaria diagnostic system included in a report by the World Health Organization's international procurement agency (UNITAID).
A spokesperson from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency noted, "As climate change and the spread of infectious diseases converge, malaria is no longer an endemic disease in certain regions." They emphasized that "reducing mosquito populations alone has its limitations, thus comprehensive responses based on science and technology, including treatments, diagnostic techniques, and the development of a Korean vaccine are urgently needed."