Malaria vaccine three years away, says Bill Gates

London, January 26 (ANI): Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who is a key campaigner against malaria, has said that a vaccine for the disease should be available in three years.

The business tycoon's foundation has spent billions of dollars in the fight against the disease.

"We have a vaccine that's in the last trial phase - called phase three. A partially effective vaccine could even be available within three years, but a [...] fully effective vaccine will take five to 10 years," the BBC News quoted him as saying.

Among other issues, he talked about developed nations plundering their foreign aid budgets to pay for the cost of tackling climate change.

He said: "I just want to make sure that that funding doesn't come by reducing the funds for Aids, drugs or vaccines, which, after all, not only do they save lives but its this improved health that actually gets a country to reduce its population growth.

"And, in the long run, for all these environmental issues, having a population that's not growing so rapidly is what will allow us to live on a sustainable basis.

"Climate change is very important, it is an issue money should go to. It just shouldn't come out of health aid budgets." (ANI)