http://topnaman.com malaria news and discussion Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:03:03 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en 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 ... http://topnaman.com/delivery/low-tech-coolers-for-storing-rapid-tests-in-remote-areas/ The Malaria Blog welcomes guest posts - just send me an email. From James | Parasitesinhumans.org: A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that the famous pharaoh Tutankhamun was killed by malaria. According to their analysis, Tutankhamun was weakened by malaria and Köhler disease II. Tutankhamun ruled Egypt in ... http://topnaman.com/history/guest-post-parasites-in-ancient-humans-king-tut-felled-by-malaria/ And I've made it another year... Finding the time to update the site certainly has not gotten any easier but writing is still just as fun. This is also a great excuse to look at some numbers. Comparing some stats between last year and this one: 2008 2009 Total Countries 79 106 120 Unique visitors 1,518 2,831 4,349 Page views 4,798 6,811 11,609 Posts 38 34 72 Words 11,157 6,244 17,401 The top twenty ... http://topnaman.com/random/malaria-blog-turns-two/ Millions of people owe their lives to Fred Soper. Why isn't he a hero? Asks Malcolm Gladwell in his essay The Mosquito Killer. The article is an excellent look at the role played by an American physician in initiating the global malaria eradication efforts of the 50s and 60s.  Gladwell has a very accessible writing ... http://topnaman.com/history/gladwell-on-malaria-ddt-and-soper/ 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 ... http://topnaman.com/drug-resistance/wwarn-the-world-wide-antimalarial-resistance-network/ Below is a comment, on the PMI clarification, from one of the authors of the WHO Bulletin article. In regard to the Director's response to criticisms about the PMI program in Angola, I would like to make a few comments, having written the article in English, with the approval of my ... http://topnaman.com/operations/presidents-malaria-initiative-and-angola-part-2/ The title of this post is a bit sensational for my tastes but honest in regards to the charges levied by Somandjinga et al in the Bulletin of the WHO. The history of malaria control is replete with stories of gaffes small and large. However, the "policy and practice" article ... http://topnaman.com/operations/usaid-presidents-malaria-initiative-blundered-malaria-control-in-angola/ Two events prompted this post. First, several people have asked me if the malaria vaccine they heard about in the news will eliminate malaria. Second, the GSK CEO Andrew Witty discussed pricing strategies (5% profit above the yet unknown production costs) for this vaccine, called RTS,S, at a recent talk. ... http://topnaman.com/vaccine/phase-iii-malaria-vaccine-dont-count-your-eggs-before-they-hatch/ As a follow-up to the previous post on the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine is a remarkable piece of history on its origins written by Helen Power. The subtitle "institutionalizing medical research in the periphery" summarizes the article and the insights one can expect from reviewing such a process. How ... http://topnaman.com/history/calcutta-school-of-tropical-medicine-part-2/ Need to stay up to date on malaria research? MalariaWorld is a site which consolidates and summarizes recent papers. They also have a blog and a useful list of malaria related job openings and graduate research positions. http://topnaman.com/communication/malariaworld/