A viable malaria vaccine might be available in just a few months. The vaccine has a 75-per-cent success rate when tested on children aged between 18 months and 5 years. With no vaccine currently available, malaria is still one of the world’s deadliest diseases, killing more than 400,000 children every year in sub-Saharan Africa. Whether its developer, pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline, will make it available to all who need it remains to be seen.
In 2014, a 5p (7 cents) charge was introduced in Scotland for all plastic carrier bags. Since then, use has plummeted by 80 per cent, reflecting the experience in Wales and Northern Ireland, which have had a ban since 2011 and 2013 respectively. England will also introduce a ban in October 2015.
