Posted on September 28, 2009 by Patients and Patents
Artemisinin, derived from the sweet wormwood shrub, is the best drug available but misuse and over-prescription have led to the parasite becoming resistant to it. Counterfeit antimalarial drugs have also been a major cause of deaths.
Filed under: Africa, Asia, Counterfeit drugs, Public health, World Health Organization | Tagged: counterfeit medicines, malaria, Africa, World Health Organization, Counterfeit drugs, Asia, drug resistance | Leave a Comment »
Posted on September 15, 2009 by Patients and Patents
One of the biggest challenges in the fight against malaria is knowing where to hand out the nets since not all mosquitoes transmit the disease. Researchers at the University of Ottawa are using satellite mapping to better direct the distribution of aid resources.
To generate their maps of malaria-risk areas, the scientists use a process called [...]
Filed under: Africa, Public health | Tagged: Africa, malaria | Leave a Comment »
Posted on June 5, 2009 by Patients and Patents
Many health experts are concerned that the growing resistance to artemisinin drugs in western Cambodia could result in a repeat of the fate of chloroquine, which became largely ineffective. Counterfeit drugs can contain insufficient amounts of active ingredient, failing to cure the disease parasite and allowing it to mutate and resist the drug. With half [...]
Filed under: Asia, Counterfeit drugs | Tagged: Counterfeit drugs, counterfeit medicines, drug pricing, malaria, Public health | Leave a Comment »
30 million mosquito nets for Nigeria
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, in its largest-ever malaria initiative, will provide 30 million long-lasting treated mosquito nets to Nigeria. This initiative will provide the African nation with half the nets needed to cover its entire population.
The Global Fund’s “unprecedented commitment to Nigeria, which bears one quarter of the global malaria [...]
Filed under: Africa, Commentary on news & events, Public health | Tagged: Africa, malaria, Public health | Leave a Comment »