Chris Blattman

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Malaria and collective action

The free rider problem that follows any vaccination plan just got trickier. From the New Scientist, an unusual new malaria vaccine:

Unlike other vaccines in the pipeline, which are designed to protect individuals who have been bitten, this one aims to sabotage the life cycle of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium, by stopping it from passing back from humans to mosquitoes.

While preventing this transmission wouldn’t help an infected individual directly, it would benefit the population as a whole,

New vaccines that prevent the disease itself are only partly effective. Combined with the transmission vaccine, malaria could be knocked out more easily.

Expensive to implement? It seems to me a government or donor would not merely need to pay for the drug, but also pay recipients to take it.

Possibly the vaccine could be mandatorily packaged with personal innoculations or other free health services.

Alternatively, gives incentives at the community level: offer a village free mass vaccination (and a payment?) if they collectively agree to participate. Problems: some will be coerced into participation, and more diverse communities will suffer.

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