topnaman | Malaria blog

Possibly, but probably not, and certainly too early to tell. Though some would have you believe it already. The World Health Organization press release makes two claims: 1) artemisinin-resistant malaria (previously discussed here and here) has almost disappeared from areas tested in a pilot project managed by WHO and 2) the overall incidence of malaria has reduced significantly [...]

Mosquitoes, Malaria, and Man by Gordon Harrison, 1978. Lucid writing, historical depth, and the framing of critical debates in malaria control make this book my favorite recounting of the last 130 years in the malaria world. Actually, this “history of the hostilities since 1880″ no longer covers the immediate events of the past 30 years [...]

Malaria articles on Karen Grepin’s blog – while only a few malaria dedicated blogs exist, some development and health blogs have a nice collection of posts including this one. Assessment of malaria elimination in Zanzibar (old news) – even with a balanced outlook will it guide future actions – or are those predetermined by who’s [...]

The title of this paper could also be “How to write about malaria programs and operations”. It is among the most astute, careful descriptions of policy and long-term changes in malaria incidence I have seen. The article deserves broad reading as it contains many lessons on research and control for other countries. In the past 20 years, Brazil [...]

An anonymous emailer (many thanks) wrote to me to share news about a successful  microfinance program which improved malaria education. I was impressed with their work, and their efforts at rigorous evaluation. Something bugged me though – the juxtaposition of microfinance and malaria appeared unnatural. Making microfinance available is a worthwhile initiative, but why do [...]

It’s world malaria day. In the past year, a combination of sources (papers, program reports, routine surveillance, and stories from workers) suggest malaria cases and deaths are falling in many places. That’s good news indeed.

Image from the Wellcome Trust This is the second post (first one) of my attempt at profiling different malaria workers. Not many have heard of the epidemiologist Rickard Christophers (1873 – 1978). I came across his work accidentally, which was fortunate, because his lessons hold great promise for our efforts today. Having worked in the [...]

The title is from a provocative article by Bart Knols (of MalariaWorld) on the modern malaria research establishment. I came across the piece through some related commentary at the terrific PloS Speaking of Medicine blog. His central thesis is a somewhat rhetorical question: “Is the bulk of today’s malaria research helping to control malaria?” As [...]

I’m torn about press releases of scientific and programmatic work. On one hand issuing press releases rapidly disseminates findings, generates interest, and helps reach new audiences. Every institution, whether a university, NGO, or even a multilateral, has to maintain a supportive constituency and most will seek to ever expand this base. The pressure to leverage [...]

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 [...]