Malaria News Other |
Antimalarial Drug Candidate 
Spiroindolones were discovered as promising antimalarial drug candidates through a high-throughput screening approach that should be applicable to a range of neglected infectious diseases. Rottmann et al. present the preclinical profile for an optimized spiroindolone drug candidate, NITD609. They obtained evidence for a decrease in drug sensitivity in strains of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum bearing amino acid mutations in the P-type ATPase, indicating possible mechanisms of action and/or resistance.
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Mosquitoes: first evaluate impacts of eradicating them 
We may find ways to limit or even eradicate certain groups of mosquitoes, and it is wise to evaluate the consequences in advance (Nature 466, 432-434; 2010).
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Local Programs Take a Bite out of Malaria
There is a reason that Zambia is doing well whereas its neighbors have made little progress with malaria. In Zambia, the Ministry of Health is functional and organized. From 1950 until 2000, Zimbabwe also had a successful malaria control operation, which until recently was staffed and run by local scientists operating in a well-managed health system.
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Malaria Surveillance - United States, 2008
Malaria in humans is caused by intraerythrocytic protozoa of the genus Plasmodium. These parasites are transmitted by the bite of an infective female Anopheles species mosquito. The majority of malaria infections in the United States occur among persons who have traveled to areas with ongoing malaria transmission. In the United States, cases can occur through exposure to infected blood products, congenital transmission, or local mosquitoborne transmission. Malaria surveillance is conducted to identify episodes of local transmission and to guide prevention recommendations for travelers.
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Malaria Eliminators of the Asia Pacific Meet in Sri Lanka 
From February 16-19, 2010, participants from country malaria programs and partner institutions gathered in Kandy, Sri Lanka for the second annual meeting of the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network (APMEN). Although the Asia Pacific region suffers from a significant portion of the world-™s malaria burden, considerable progress in malaria control has been achieved, leading ten countries to make a national commitment to elimination: Bhutan, China, Democratic People-™s Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, and Vanuatu. Thailand and India (Goa State) have also made commitments to sub-national elimination. APMEN aims to support these countries-™ malaria elimination efforts through collaborative activities, including information sharing, evidence gathering, capacity building and advocacy. Participants used this second meeting of the Network to discuss region-specific technical issues and develop an action-oriented work plan for the coming year.
Major funding for APMEN is provided by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). APMEN is coordinated by a Joint-Secretariat, formed by the University of Queensland, Australia, and the Global Health Group, University of California, San Francisco, and works closely with the World Health Organization (WHO). More information is available at www.apmen.org.
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The elusive malaria vaccine: miracle or mirage? 
The author of The Elusive Malaria Vaccine: Miracle or Mirage? has spent several decades engaged in malaria research. Given the start in May, 2009, of the Phase 3 trial of RTS,S/AS01, the first malaria vaccine that might be registered and that could potentially be available for use in sub-Saharan Africa, this book is timely and provides a very good overview of the prehistory and history of microbiology, parasitology, and vaccinology.
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Asia Pacific Disaster Appeal 
Oxfam is sending additional emergency staff and supplies to respond to the deadly earthquake in Sumatra, Indonesia and the tsunami in Samoa. This is occurring on top of Oxfam and its partners responding to widespread flooding in the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Support the many people in our region who have been hit by tragedy by donating to The Asia Pacific Disaster Appeal.
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WHO world malaria report 
Half of the world's population is at risk of malaria,
and an estimated 247 million cases led to nearly 881 000 deaths in 2006. The World malaria report 2008 describes the global distribution of cases and deaths, how WHO-recommended control strategies have been adopted and implemented in endemic countries, sources of funding for malaria control, and recent evidence that prevention and treatment can alleviate the burden of disease. apps.who.int
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