topnaman | Malaria blog

The World Health Organization released the second edition of its guidelines for the treatment of malaria. There are two major changes from the previous 2006 version:
1) All cases should be parasitologically confirmed prior to treatment. Presumptive treatment is no longer encouraged. While many areas do not yet have the capacity to do so, the unequivocal [...]

Sonia Shah (no relation, check out her blog though) does not mince words. The author of a malaria history book, The Fever, wrote a scathing critique on the ridiculous anti-mosquito laser system and those who promote it  (thanks Russell/Sanjay).
I did see the ‘mosquito death ray’ invention a few months ago when it hit the web [...]

Rapid diagnostic tests for malaria (and other diseases) can extend diagnosis to remote areas. This is sorely needed. Beyond benefits against the disease at hand, the introduction of diagnostics along with associated systems of quality assurance can strengthen the overall health system (previously discussed here). A major barrier for expanding the use of rapid tests [...]