Step up call on Malaria Day
Tuesday April 25th, 2017
The world needs to increase its efforts against malaria in spite of recent successes, experts say today on World Malaria Day.
According
to the World Health Organisation, some 429,000 people died from the disease
in 2015 and 212 million people were diagnosed with it.
The number of deaths was 29% lower than five years earlier.
A WHO analysis finds that ten Saharan and sub-Saharan countries are now using chemo-prevention to protect children during the rainy season.
But only Sierra Leone is using preventative treatment for infants.
It reports that 43% of those at risk did not have access to protection through nets or indoor insecticide sprays.
Director-general Dr Margaret Chan said: “WHO-recommended tools have made a measurable difference in the global malaria fight.
“But we need a much bigger push for prevention – especially in Africa, which bears the greatest burden of malaria.”
* Scientists today set out a new way of recognising malaria through measurements of immune response.
The proposal was to be revealed at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Vienna, Austria.
Researchers at Stanford University, California, USA, say the technique could enable quick and accurate diagnosis.
They have identified seven genes that become active during malaria expression after studying the activity of more than 6,000 genes. Their research suggests that identifying this genetic activity can distinguish malaria from other tropical diseases with 96% accuracy.
Researcher Professor Purvesh Khatri believes a low-cost device for measuring the genetic responses could be available in three years.
He said: "We know that the immune system is able to deploy different tactics for fighting different infections such as bacteria, viruses and the malaria parasite.
"This research shows that we can detect signs of these differences by looking at which genes are being expressed, and we think it is possible to use this knowledge to speed up diagnosis and treatment.”
Tags: Africa | Child Health | World Health
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