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MalariaMalaria is by far the world's most important tropical parasitic disease, and kills more people than any other communicable disease except tuberculosis. It is caused by a parasite plasmodium and is transmitted by the mosquito. In 1997 according to the WHO, malaria was the greatest single killer in Africa. It exacts an enormous toll in lives, in medical costs, and in days of labour lost. It is estimated that malaria has cost Africa $100 billion dollars over the last 30 years. And yet Malaria is a curable disease if promptly diagnosed and adequately treated while prevention methods are relatively cheap and simple.
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Anopheles gambiae: adult female bloodfeeding on human skin |
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2.4 billion worldwide (40%) at threat
Malaria costs Africa $2 billion a year
500 million cases a year worldwide
3 million deaths a year
90% of cases in Africa
800,000 children die every year in Africa
$1 billion dollars a year is required to control the disease
$120 million dollars spent on malaria annually by donor countries (10%) of what is needed |
WHO/TDR/Crump A village-based distributor of chloroquine-containing Musujjaquin tablets explains the dosage and how to take the tablets to a young mother who has bought her child to the distributor's home for treatment. Following minimal training the distributor is able to sell and distribute the pre-packaged antimalarial tablets, which are part of new initiatives to promote the home management of malaria. (Uganda) |
10 parasites needed for infection
WHO/TDR/Taylor-Robinson Plasmodium falciparum
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Parasite multiplies and 10 thousand to 10 million parasites released from the liver to the blood stream WHO/TDR/Taylor-Robinson
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100 million to 10 billion parasites to cause clinical symptoms 1 trillion to 10 trillion parasites cause death There are an estimated 100,000 trillion parasites worldwide Resistance arises in about one parasite in a trillion, i.e. occurs in 100,000 parasites at a time, which is why resistance spreads so quickly to malarial drugs with a single mechanism of action.
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$84 million dollar spent world wide expenditure on malaria research, prevention and treatment (1993)
$19 million is the additional amount it would cost Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda to implement the use of Artemisinin combination therapies.
Amount approved for spending on Malaria from the Global fund for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria first round of grants World: 1 year - $19,795,224 2 year - $72,028,304 Africa: 1 year - $14,316,312 2 year - $44,567,358 Countries receiving funds for Malaria from the Global fund for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria: Africa: Tanzania, Benin, Madagascar, Mali, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Asia: Sri Lanka, China, Laos |
A
blister pack of artesunate rectal capsules. The suppositories -
which are produced in the 2 formulations (100mg shown here) and
200mg - are used for the treatment of non-per os malaria. Artesunate
suppositories have proved their effectiveness (particularly for
patients not able to take medications by mouth) and their use should
help prevent abuse, and so delay the development of resistance in
parasites. |
If drugs with two or more mechanisms (combination therapy) used, theoretically resistance will develop only once every 100 to 10,000 years (rarely) This is because malarial resistance occurs via genetic mutation, and is not transmitted from parasite to parasite New combination treatments with artemisinin derivatives and ‘traditional’ malaria drugs such as artenusate –mefloquine have been shown to reduce the parasite by 100 million times Resistance has never been reported to artemisinin derivatives. Artemisinin combination therapies reduced malaria deaths in parts of South Africa by 87% in 2001 according to Medecins Sans Frontieres
Chloroquine + sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine - $0.25 dollars per adult dose Artemisinin combination therapies - $1.25 per adult dose
Artemisinin drugs are recommended by the WHO in the following African countries: Cameroon, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya Zanzibar
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National Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (BIOTEC), Bangkok: Tissue culture of Artemisia annua |
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Sources: The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria - List of Approved Projects Kindermans J, Changing national malaria treatment protocols in Africa: What is the cost and who will pay? Access To Essential Medicines, MSF, February 2002 Medilinks. Malaria: Africa's major parasitic disease Medilinks.org 2001 McConnell J. Malaria Number Game The Lancet: Volume 2, Number 5 01, May 2002 |
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