Antimalarial resistance has spread

According to Vietnam News Agency reporter in the United Nations, in the Global Report on malaria drug resistance in the period 2000-2010, announced on November 18, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned only 34 % of countries with malaria epidemic perform periodic anti-malaria drug testing as instructed by WHO.

Drug resistance to malaria is spreading, (Artwork: Internet)

The agency requires countries to be more cautious in testing to soon detect drug resistance in anti-malaria treatment.

WHO said Artemisinin is currently the most effective antimalarial drug, with the cure rate reaching more than 90%. However, in February 2009, this drug resistance appeared in the border area between Cambodia and Thailand and there are signs that Artemisinin resistance has spread to the Thai-Myanmar border. endeavors to block.

This raises concerns that antimalarial resistance may spread from Asia to Africa, a phenomenon that has occurred for some other drugs in the 1960s and 70s.

The director of WHO 's Global Antimalarial Program , Dr. Robert Newman, emphasized that resistance to Artemisinin is a " world awakening " that it should prevent the spread of this resistance by strengthening testing and protection of Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) as the only effective treatment for malaria.

Professor Nicholas White of the Mahidol-Oxford Research Center in Bangkok said that antimalarial resistance as well as cancer, must be detected at every level. WHO is working on developing a Global Plan to Prevent Artemisinin drug resistance, which is expected to be published in January 2011.