New research suggests that the ability of children in Africa to perform well in school could be dramatically improved through basic malaria education and treatment. While less fatal among older children, malaria infections often reduce a child's ability to concentrate, as Henry Ridgwell reports.Source: VOA News … [Read more...]
Large scale study on indicators of ACT efficacy in Africa
A new study from WWARN’s ACT Africa Baseline Study Group finds that current indicators of the efficacy of ACT based on persistence of parasites in the first 3 days after treatment may need some adjustment for African populations, due to the differences in immunity between African and Asian populations.Slow parasite clearance – the rate at which malaria parasites decline in the patient’s … [Read more...]
Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine vs. Artemether-Lumefantrine for First-Line Treatment of Uncomplicated Malaria in African Children: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
Recent multi-centre trials showed that dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) was as efficacious and safe as artemether-lumefantrine (AL) for treatment of young children with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria across diverse transmission settings in Africa. Longitudinal follow-up of patients in these trials supported previous findings that DP had a longer post-treatment prophylactic effect than AL, … [Read more...]
Nearly 200 Million Africans at Risk for Malaria
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...]
African Experts Discuss Need for Better Regulation of Medicine
In most African countries, pharmaceutical drugs are poorly regulated or not regulated at all, posing huge risks for those who depend on them to stay healthy. But for the first time, the topic has gotten the attention of African officials, who holding a scientific conference on the topic in South Africa.Access to safe and effective medicine can be touch and go in Africa, where the market … [Read more...]
Tracking Black Market Malaria Drugs
"The theft and black market resale of anti-malaria medications is a serious problem in African countries like Angola and Tanzania, hindering the global aid effort to combat the disease. U.S. investigators are leading a probe into the widespread theft and black-market resale of malaria drugs donated to Africa by the U.S. government. Organized theft is plaguing the multibillion-dollar aid effort, … [Read more...]
Africa Faces $7 Billion Funding Gap to Fight Malaria
African countries face a $7-billion funding gap to control and eliminate malaria. To discuss this issue among others, African ministers of health came together at the African Union headquarters to commemorate World Malaria Day.Every year 660,000 people die from malaria, and 90 percent of those deaths are in Africa. Eliminating malaria by 2015 is one of the United Nations' Millennium … [Read more...]
Malaria Deaths in Africa
QUESTIONHow many humans die of malaria in Africa?ANSWERAccording to the World Health Organization's Roll Back Malaria programme (Roll Back Malaria - Key Facts), 665,000 people died from malaria globally in 2010, with 91% or 596,000 people dying in Africa alone. Eighty-six (86%) of deaths were in children under five years of age. … [Read more...]
P. knowlesi versus P. falciparum: Treatment and Prevention
QUESTIONI would like to know about the P. knowlesi - treatment compared to P. falciparum? preventive medicine?ANSWERAt this point in time, P. knowlesi is completely susceptible to chloroquine, and so can be treated successfully using this drug. P. falciparum, on the other hand, is known to have widespread resistance to chloroquine, and so the World Health Organization recommends that … [Read more...]
Malaria in Africa
QUESTIONHow many in Africa have been affected by Malaria?ANSWERIn 2010, there were approximately 174 million cases of malaria in Africa. However, some people may present with more than one case of malaria per year (especially young children), so the number of people affected is likely considerably lower. However, 90% of deaths from malaria occur in Africa, and 60% in just six … [Read more...]