Securing its place as an indispensable defence against the development and spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), the Stop TB Partnership announced today that its drug supply arm, the Global Drug Facility, has provided anti-TB drug treatments for 10 million people to 78 countries in the past six years.
During the first 24 hours of invasion by the malaria-inducing parasite Plasmodium falciparum, red blood cells start to lose their ability to deform and squeeze through tiny blood vessels-one of the hallmarks of the deadly disease that infects nearly 400 million people each year. Now, an international team of researchers led by an MIT professor has demonstrated just why that happens.
Underlining focus on HIV/AIDS, polio and affordable and safe medicines, the Indian government said with National Rural Health Mission it has set in motion an improved access to quality healthcare for people, especially those living in rural areas, poor, women and children.
John M. Miller, M.P.H., of the Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa (MACEPA) at PATH, Lusaka, Zambia, and colleagues conducted a study to estimate how many insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are available in African households that are at risk of malaria and how many ITNs are needed to reach targets for use by children younger than 5 years and pregnant women.
Richard Idro, M.M.E.D., of the Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kilifi, Kenya and colleagues conducted a study to determine the incidence and neurological involvement of African children with acute falciparum malaria (a severe type of malaria).
Toby Leslie, M.Sc., of HealthNet TPO Malaria and Leishmaniasis Control Programme, Peshawar, Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan, and colleagues tested the relative efficacy and safety of two antifolate drugs (sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and chlorproguanil-dapsone) against P vivax malaria and compared each with chloroquine.
Despite improvements in the ability to diagnose malaria, these diagnostic tests are often underused in Zambia, and patients with negative test results are often prescribed anti-malaria medications, according to a study in the May 23/30 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on malaria.
Ugandan children who received the combination therapy of artemether-lumefantrine experienced a lower rate of treatment failure compared to other combination therapies, according to a study in the May 23/30 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on malaria.
Kevin S. Griffith, M.D., M.P.H., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, and colleagues conducted a review of medical literature from 1966 to 2006 to provide clinicians with recommendations for diagnosing and treating malaria in the US.
As the Earth?s temperatures continue to rise, we can expect a signficant change in infectious disease patterns around the globe. Just exactly what those changes will be remains unclear, but scientists agree they will not be for the good.