Malaria Burden: New Eradication Method Now Available

Developed by the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, it helped in eliminating malaria in the Comoros in 2014.

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female mosquitoes. About 3.2 billion people in the world are at risk of falling sick of malaria today. Though efforts have been made in recent years to curb the incidence of malaria morbidity and mortality, Sub-Saharan Africa in 2015 was home to 89 per cent of malaria cases and 91 per cent of malaria deaths.

But there is now possibility of completely eliminating malaria in an endemic area through Mass Drug Administration, MDA, with a combination of Artemisinin and Piperaquine. Also known as Fast Elimination of Malaria by Source Eradication, FEMSE, the new method using the Artemisinin-based drug, Artequick, has helped in eliminating malaria in the Comoros Archipelago located in the Indian Ocean. This was disclosed to 27 African journalists in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province in China on April 14, 2017 by Dr Jianping Song. The method was developed by the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, whose Science and Research Department Dr Song heads. Song is a Medical Doctor and PhD holder.

Dr Song said the new method is “fast as it acts on different parts of the blood-borne parasite life cycle. It is more effective than other anti-malaria medicines as it ensures better stability and encounters little resistance. After trying the ATC-MDA method in three phases in the Comoros between 2006 and 2014, malaria-related morbidity fell by 98.01 per cent. Similarly, malaria-r...