Navy Medicine Researcher Named U.S. Military Malaria Vaccine Coordinator

SILVER SPRING, Md. (NNS) -- The Navy Medicine director for the Navy's Malaria Vaccine Program was appointed as the research coordinator of the U.S. Military Malaria Vaccine Program (USMMVP), Aug. 27.

Capt. Thomas Richie will relieve Army Col. Christian Ockenhouse and serve as USMMVP coordinator.

The USMMVP consists of scientists and technicians from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and the Naval Medical Research Center, co-located in Silver Spring, Md. Jointly they are working to develop vaccines to protect military forces against the debilitating infectious disease malaria.

The importance of malaria to the U.S. military was illustrated by the mission-altering evacuation of 43 Marines from the West African country of Liberia in 2003. Five of these Marines required intensive care before recovering.

U.S. military forces are at great risk of developing malaria while deployed in endemic areas. A warfighter with malaria can be incapacitated for one to three weeks and some malaria infections can rapidly become life threatening if not promptly diagnosed and treated. In addition, warfighters can be exposed to more than one malaria species in today's complex military operations. Despite having very effective drugs to treat individuals suffering from malaria, the most cost effective measure to fight this disease is to develop preventive malaria vaccines.


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