Colombian Scientist: Manuel Elkin Patarroyo

Manuel Elkin Patarroyo was born on november 3rd-1947, is a Colombian pathologyst, who developed the world's first synthetic vaccine for malaria, a disease transmitted by mosquitos that affects many people in the World. The Dr. Patarroyo studied medicine at the National University of Colombia, received a scholarship to Yale University, and a PhD at Rockefeller University in New York.

The vaccine has been proven effective between 30 and 60 percent of the time to those over one year old. There were discussions with a major pharmaceutical company to manufacture the vaccine in Switzerland, but that would have made the price very high. Patarroyo insisted that the vaccine be produced in Columbia, in order to keep the price low. If produced in Europe or the US, the price per dose would have been $10, but by producing the vaccine in Colombia, it is estimated that it will cost 40 cents per dose.

He is other person pride of Colombia.