topnaman | Malaria blog

The parasite clearance curve and, the more commonly used, parasite clearance time is a measure of the reduction of parasite density over time or the time until the patient is parasite free, after beginning treatment. Interest in parasite clearance has peaked as a means to gauge artemisinin resistance (previously discussed here and here) as combination therapies [...]

Probably the largest, longest running, drug efficacy monitoring effort in the malaria world yet little appreciated and recognized. I hope our analysis and publication of thirty years of data (sorry, not open access – email me for the PDF) helps amend that. And something I do not say often enough: I am so grateful for [...]

WWARN (previously introduced here) has released their interactive data viewer. It is fantastic to see and use. Viewing the tabulated data for any study (as opposed to just summary data) is a bit tricky: > click on the study icon on the map > look to the bottom left of the pop-up > click investigate [...]

We’ve talked about the looming threat of artemisinin-resistant malaria and its spread before (here and here). Well the Gates Foundation funded containment project for the P. falciparum strains along the Thai-Cambodia border has a blog. And it looks terrific – from vivid photos, an interview with Dr Wichai Satimai (director of the Thai Bureau of [...]

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 [...]

The world-wide antimalarial resistance network (WWARN) is a great idea. The concept is simple: drug-resistant strains spread and a bigger picture is needed – consolidate data from existing monitoring efforts and standardize protocols to ensure comparability. A series of articles in 2009, published in Malaria Journal, outlined the rationale and a plan for creating a global [...]

The NY Times featured artemisinin resistance along the Thai-Cambodia border yesterday (though it wasn’t written by Donald McNeil who is the author for most of their global health work). I’ve previously discussed the topic (here, and here), and I am part of a team which researches malaria drug resistance in Cambodia. First, my use of [...]

Millions of people get treated for malaria every year so its important to use an antimalarial which works. Treatment failures result in a prolonged illness for the patient with an increased risk of severe malaria and death. In addition, they contribute to increased malaria transmission. Makes sense right? However, the parasite has an amazing ability [...]

Bate et al. tested antimalarial quality for several drugs in 6 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and found an alarming 35% were substandard as gauged by thin layer chromatography or dissolution tests. The authors did not attempt to assess whether counterfeit or not as the outcome would remain the same – i.e. the drugs are substandard [...]

In early April of this year a Vietnamese news source carried an article about the challenges of malaria control and the possibility of future malaria epidemics. A substantial portion of the piece focused on antimalarial resistance, including high failure rates of chloroquine and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine. What was surprising was a passing mention of artesunate failures: … [...]