New research shows that after 10 years of intensified campaigns against malaria 184-million people in Africa still live in moderate to high-risk areas. While the number is high, it’s down from nearly 220-million in 2000 when anti-malaria efforts began to increase. The findings are based on thousands of community-based surveys in 44 African countries and territories. These are places where … [Read more...]
G6PD Deficiency Prevalence and Estimates of Affected Populations in Malaria Endemic Countries
Primaquine is a key drug for malaria elimination. In addition to being the only drug active against the dormant relapsing forms of Plasmodium vivax, primaquine is the sole effective treatment of infectious P. falciparum gametocytes, and may interrupt transmission and help contain the spread of artemisinin resistance. However, primaquine can trigger haemolysis in patients with a deficiency in … [Read more...]
Mobile Phone Text Messaging: Tool for Malaria Control in Africa
Across many malaria-endemic areas in rural Africa, the communication gap between managers, health workers, and patients is a significant barrier to efficient malaria control. The rapid expansion of mobile network coverage and the widespread availability of basic handsets have the potential to substantively bridge the communication gap. Text messaging, as the least-expensive mobile phone function … [Read more...]
Counterfeit Anitmalarial Drugs Threaten Crisis in Africa
Hopes of at last controlling malaria in Africa could be dashed by the emergence of poor-quality and fraudulent antimalarial medicines, warn experts writing in Malaria Journal. Unless urgent action is taken both within Africa and internationally, they argue, millions of lives could be put at risk. … [Read more...]
Monkeys Provide Malaria Reservoir for Human Disease in South-East Asia
Monkeys infected with an emerging malaria strain are providing a reservoir for human disease in Southeast Asia, according to recent research. The study confirms that the species has not yet adapted to humans and that monkeys are the main source of infection. Malaria is a potentially deadly disease that kills over a million people each year. The disease is caused by malaria parasites, which are … [Read more...]