The purpose of immunization with asexual blood-stage (merozoite) antigens is to control the magnitude of the asexual parasitemia, and thus decrease the incidence of severe disease. These vaccines are seen to be of most benefit to semi-immune, long-term residents of endemic areas, although they may also benefit nonimmunes.

These vaccines are directed toward blocking infection of mosquitoes. As a result, such vaccines would not have any effect on the clinical manifestations of malaria in an individual, but could have major impact through reducing malaria transmission, and thus malaria mortality and morbidity at the population (community) level.