Research

Poor quality vital anti-malarials in Africa - an urgent neglected public health priority

Paul Newton et al | 13 Dec 2011 | Malaria Journal

Criminals are producing diverse harmful anti-malarial counterfeits with important public health consequences. The presence of artesunate monotherapy, substandard and/or degraded and counterfeit medicines containing sub-therapeutic amounts of unexpected anti-malarials will engender drug resistance.

The ACTwatch project: methods to describe anti-malarial markets in seven countries

Tanya Shewchuk et al | 31 Oct 2011 | Malaria Journal

ACTwatch is a unique multi-country research project that threads together anti-malarial supply and consumer behaviour to provide an evidence base to policy makers that can help determine where interventions may positively impact access to and use of quality-assured ACT and RDTs. Because of its ability to detect change over time, it is well suited to monitor the effects of policy or intervention developments in a country.

A Reversal in Reductions of Child Mortality in Western Kenya, 2003-2009

Mary Hamel et al. | 31 Oct 2011 | American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

We report and explore changes in child mortality in a rural area of Kenya during 2003-2009, when major public health interventions were scaled-up. Mortality ratios and rates were calculated by using the Kenya Medical Research Institute/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Demographic Surveillance System.

Degradation of insecticides used for indoor spraying in malaria control and possible solutions

Mthokozisi Sibanda et al | 18 Oct 2011 | Malaria Journal

Bioassay experiments indicated that incorporating insecticides into a conventional paint binder or adsorbing them onto phosphogypsum can provide for extended effective life spans that compare favourably with DDT's performance under accelerated ageing conditions.

Population genetic structure of Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles gambiae in a malaria endemic region of southern Tanzania

Kija R Ng'habi et al | 05 Oct 2011 | Malaria Journal

Genetic diversity is a key factor that enables adaptation and persistence of natural populations towards environmental conditions.

Malaria knowledge and long-lasting insecticidal net use in rural communities of central Cote d'Ivoire

Alassane F Ouattara et al | 04 Oct 2011 | Malaria Journal

To improve effectiveness of malaria control interventions, it is essential to deepen the knowledge of contextual factors that govern people's practice for preventive and curative measures.

Malaria: control vs elimination vs eradication

None | 24 Sep 2011 | The Lancet

In The Lancet today, we report the presentation of this year's Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award to Tu Youyou, a Chinese pharmacologist, for discovering the antimalarial drug artemisinin in the 1970s.

Knowledge and malaria treatment practices using artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) in Malawi: survey of health professionals

Linda V Kalilani-Phiri et al | 22 Sep 2011 | Malaria Journal

Malaria still remains a life-threatening disease worldwide causing between 190 and 311 million cases of malaria in 2008.

Travel risk, malaria importation and malaria transmission in Zanzibar

Arnaud Le Menach et al | 15 Sep 2011 | Scientific Reports

The prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Zanzibar has reached historic lows. Improving control requires quantifying malaria importation rates, identifying high-risk travelers, and assessing onwards transmission.

A Lethal Subsidy

Roger Bate & Richard Tren | 08 Sep 2011 | American Enterprise Institute

By trying to do too much, the disease-fighting Global Fund has run into problems. It is spending public funds in a way that is perverting the market for malaria drugs and could do more harm than good.