Preventing Malaria Resistance: Tips for a Healthy Solution - Health

Urgent Call for Action Against Malaria Resistance

Millions of lives are at risk in Africa due to the spread of drug - resistant malaria . Scientists warn that urgent and radical action is needed to combat the rise in resistance levels of the critical drug artemisinin , which is essential in treating malaria . In East Africa , resistance levels have increased dramatically , from fewer than 1 % to over 20 % of cases within just three years . The last time resistance to an antimalarial drug spread in Africa , it resulted in a tripling of the number of children dying.

 Artemisinin kills the malaria parasite and is the cornerstone of treatment . Parasites that could resist artemisinin evolved for the first time in Africa in Rwanda , and then separately in Uganda and Eritrea.

These resistant parasites have spread within their countries and across borders , causing more than 10 % of malaria cases to be caused by resistant parasites in Ethiopia , Eritrea , Rwanda , Uganda , and Tanzania . Urgent action is necessary to prevent millions of deaths due to the ineffectiveness of antimalarial treatments.

Preventing a Public Health Crisis

Artemisinin - based combination therapies ( ACTs ) have been crucial in malaria treatment and control , but the emergence and spread of artemisinin resistance ( ART - R ) in Plasmodium falciparum parasites in East Africa have compromised the efficacy of these treatments . To prevent a surge in malaria - related sickness and death in the region , urgent action is needed . Lessons from the success in containing ART - R in Southeast Asia suggest a multipronged approach is necessary in East Africa to reduce and interrupt malaria transmission permanently.

 To combat ART - R in Africa , the authors recommend using triple ACTs ( TACTs ) , combining an artemisinin derivative with two partner drugs , which have proven effective in Asia.

Investments in enhanced community health worker networks , rapid diagnostic testing , and antimalarial treatments are crucial . Malaria vaccination and vector control measures , such as insecticide - treated bed nets and indoor residual spraying , could help reduce transmission . Regular monitoring of drug resistance is essential , and new strategies using recently approved novel malaria vaccines should be implemented to address this growing threat in Africa.

History Repeating Itself

In 2016 , resistant strains of malaria were hardly detected in northern Uganda , but by 2019 , over 20 % of parasites tested were resistant in several regions . The further spread of these resistant parasites is described as " inexorable " by scientists , and the time from first detection to overwhelming prevalence in Southeast Asia was 10 to 15 years . Urgent action is needed to prevent a similar scenario in Africa before it leads to a public health crisis . Funding from organizations like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS , Tuberculosis , and Malaria will be crucial in containing the spread of ART - R in Africa , similar to the success seen in Asia.