Vaccines for malaria have never progressed very far. For the first time one has made its way to a late-stage trial in children at various sites in Africa, as described in this November 2010 feature article. If approved, it will be the only vaccine ever generally administered against a human parasite. Even if it is only partially effective, it could save the lives of millions.

This trial is not the only research moving forward. Other more preliminary efforts have begun to highlight a series of innovations that may propel the challenging development of these vaccines.

Below is a list of Web sites that contain relevant information, both about this trial and malaria in general.

* TropIKA, a WHO/UNICEF-sponsored site that provides accessible, highly accurate information on tropical diseases

* Roll Back Malaria, a worldwide partnership directed by the World Health Organization

* Roll Back Malaria's Global Malaria Action Plan gives a sense of priorities in fighting the disease

* Malaria No More, a multifaceted global nonprofit that provides grassroots education and entrepreneurial opportunities

* Malaria No More's Malaria Policy Center, good for understanding how different countries approach disease control

* PATH MVI, a nonprofit initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that works to speed up vaccine development

* The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's malaria page furnishes educational resources

* The President's Malaria Initiative provides backing for control efforts

* Malaria Parasite Metabolic Pathways, a site with information about the biochemistry of the malaria parasite

* National Geographic's well-done 2007 cover story on malaria

* "The Fever: How Malaria Has Ruled Humankind for 500,000 Years" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010), a new book on the history of malaria

* Malaria Nexus, a selection of relevant journal articles from
Elsevier

* PlasmoDB, the malaria genome for those who want a deep dive into the science behind malaria

* The Anopheles Web site, a page containing additional resources on the parasite and disease

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