[Science Report]:Johns Hopkins Malaria Institute


This is the VOA SpecialEnglish Science Report.

Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland has receivedone-hundred-million dollars to develop new medicines to prevent andtreat the disease malaria. The identity of the person who gave themoney to Johns Hopkins is a secret. It is the largest financial giftgiven to the university for one single purpose 鈥?to fight malaria.Officials say the amount of money for the research will probablyincrease because of assistance from the National Institutes ofHealth.

Alfred Sommer heads the Bloomberg School of Public Health atJohns Hopkins University. He says the person who gave the moneywanted it to be used to make a real difference in the world.

The money will establish the Johns Hopkins Malaria Institute.Four researchers already working at the school of public health willbegin the project. Three or four more scientists will be added eachyear for several years. There will be at least one-hundred peopleinvolved in the project. They will include graduate students,assistant researchers and laboratory technicians.

Doctor Sommer says many experts in medicine, genetics and humanpopulations will be working at the new Malaria Institute. Many ofthem will have no earlier experience studying the disease. DoctorSommer says this is good because the institute wants to develop anew way to attack the disease. He says there will be a lot ofcreative thinking from people with different kinds of training.

Mosquito insects spread malaria to people by biting them. Thedisease attacks the liver and destroys red blood cells. The WorldHealth Organization says the disease infects as many asfive-hundred-million people every year. It kills more thanone-million people each year. The W-H-O says most cases are indeveloping countries in very warm areas of the world.

Doctor Sommer says malaria also affects the productivity ofcommunities. The W-H-O estimates that the production of goods andservices in southern Africa would be thirty-two percent larger ifmalaria had been ended thirty-five years ago.

Doctor Sommer says he does not expect the Johns Hopkins MalariaInstitute to completely end the disease in the next ten years. Buthe says the goal is to develop a vaccine or drug to prevent or treatthe disease. He says this would be a huge step forward in thestruggle against malaria.

This VOA Special English Science Report was written by Jill Moss.

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