28.09.2007
La princesse Astrid se rend en Tanzanie [ Le Soir - Belgium ] — (Français)
La princesse Astrid partira dimanche pour un voyage en Tanzanie, en Afrique centrale, en tant que représentante spéciale du partenariat Roll Back Malaria (RBM), qui a pour objet la lutte contre le paludisme. La mission de la princesse, qui durera jusqu’au 4 octobre, sera de renforcer la lutte contre cette maladie. Le programme officiel de la princesse, qui sera accompagnée par plusieurs représentants de RBM et d’une délégation de journalistes, débutera lundi. Il prévoit des visites d’écoles, d’hôpitaux, de centres médicaux et d’une entreprise de fabrication de moustiquaires...
Prinses Astrid bindt in Tanzania strijd aan met malaria [HLN.be]
Prinses Astrid vertrekt zondag naar Tanzania. Ze bezoekt het Centraal-Afrikaanse land als speciaal vertegenwoordigster van het partnerschap Roll Back Malaria (RBM), dat malaria bestrijdt. De bedoeling van Astrids missie, die tot 4 oktober duurt, is de steun voor de strijd tegen malaria te verhogen...
From symptom to system [ Financial Times - United Kingdom ] — (English)
The Global Fund is not the only agency focused on a handful of high-profile diseases. In the US, President George W. Bush has created two ambitious aid programmes of this type: the $15bn, five-year Pepfar programme launched to tackle Aids in 2003 - and lobbying to receive the same support again in 2008 - and the $1.2bn President's Malaria Initiative created in 2005...
Saving the World Is Within Our Grasp [ MSNBC Newsweek - United States ] — (English)
The evidence is in: we can stop diseases like malaria and TB from killing millions of people each year...
Médicaments contre le paludisme : Les Act absents des officines de pharmacie [ Le Soleil - Senegal ] — (Français)
Les médicaments antipaludéens, commercialisés sous le nom d’Act sont absents depuis quelques semaines dans les officines de pharmacie. Cette situation, explique-t-on, est liée au fait que les fournisseurs se font de plus en plus rares. Par contre, les centres de santé sont pour le moment épargnés par cette pénurie. Seulement, si aucune solution n’est trouvée d’ici la fin du mois, les patients risquent de débourser plus pour traiter leur palu...
Structure of the Malaria Antigen AMA1 in Complex with a Growth-Inhibitory Antibody [PLOS Pathogens] — (English)
Identifying functionally critical regions of the malaria antigen AMA1 (apical membrane antigen 1) is necessary to understand the significance of the polymorphisms within this antigen for vaccine development. The crystal structure of AMA1 in complex with the Fab fragment of inhibitory monoclonal antibody 1F9 reveals that 1F9 binds to the AMA1 solvent-exposed hydrophobic trough, confirming its importance. 1F9 uses the heavy and light chain complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) to wrap around the polymorphic loops adjacent to the trough, but uses a ridge of framework residues to bind to the hydrophobic trough. The resulting 1F9-AMA1–combined buried surface of 2,470 Å2 is considerably larger than previously reported Fab–antigen interfaces. Mutations of polymorphic AMA1 residues within the 1F9 epitope disrupt 1F9 binding and dramatically reduce the binding of affinity-purified human antibodies. Moreover, 1F9 binding to AMA1 is competed by naturally acquired human antibodies, confirming that the 1F9 epitope is a frequent target of immunological attack...
27.09.2007
Donors Provide US$9.7 Billion To The Global Fund [The Global Fund] — (English)
Donors meeting here Thursday provided initial pledges to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria worth US$9.7 billion over three years. The pledges constitute the largest single financing exercise for health ever, and it will allow the Global Fund to move towards annual commitments of US$6 - 8 billion by 2010...
International Donors Meet in Berlin to Pledge Future Financial Commitments to the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria [The Global Fund] — (English)
Representatives of G8 countries, United Nations, international corporations and NGOs
make their pledges for the next three years...
Berlin meeting raises 9.7 bln dollars for AIDS, TB, malaria [AFP] — (English)
Donors pledged here 9.7 billion dollars to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria over the next three years in "a great day" for the battle against the three pandemics, former UN chief Kofi Annan said...
Sida, tuberculose, malaria : Annan et Merkel appellent à donner sans compter [ Jeune Afrique - France] — (Français)
L'ex-secrétaire général de l'ONU Kofi Annan a appelé jeudi les donateurs du Fonds mondial contre le sida, la tuberculose et le paludisme, réunis à Berlin, à quadrupler les ressources afin d'endiguer ces pandémies responsables de plus de 6 millions de morts par an...
Sida, paludisme, tuberculose : «le paysage est en train de changer» [ RFI - France ] — (Français)
Les donateurs du Fonds mondial de lutte contre le sida, le paludisme et la tuberculose sont actuellement réunis à Berlin. Pour le président du Fonds, Michel Kazatchkine, la lutte contre ces maladies a réalisé de grands progrès mais souffre encore de sous-financement....
RFI - Michel Kazatchkine - Invité du matin [ RFI - France ] — (Français)
La conférence mondiale pour la lutte contre le sida, le paludisme et la tuberculose, s'est ouverte mercredi à Berlin. Le Fond mondial présente son programme pilote pour la période 2008/2010 à la trentaine de pays invités, dont les pays du G8. Le Fond mondial souhaite récolter 8 milliards de dollars...
«Notre budget atteindra 8 à 10 milliards de dollars» [Libération - France ] — (Français)
Ala tête du Fonds mondial de lutte contre le sida, le paludisme et la tuberculose depuis six mois, Michel Kazatchkine ouvre, aujourd’hui, à Berlin, une session essentielle pour cette structure qui finance la lutte contre ces trois épidémies : y seront annoncés les engagements des grands pays contributeurs pour les trois ans à venir...
Entwicklungshilfe: Geberkonferenz bringt sieben Milliarden Euro [ Die Zeit - Germany ] — (Deutsch)
Die internationale Gemeinschaft will in den kommenden drei Jahren fast sieben Milliarden Euro für den Kampf gegen Aids und andere gefährliche Infektionskrankheiten bereitstellen. Das ist das Ergebnis der Geberkonferenz, die heute in Berlin zuende ging...
Sieben Milliarden Euro für Arbeit des Globalen Fonds [ Deutsche Welle - Germany ] — (Deutsch)
Dem Globalen Fonds zur Bekämpfung von AIDS, Tuberkulose und Malaria stehen in den nächsten drei Jahren für seine Arbeit rund sieben Milliarden Euro zur Verfügung. Diesen Betrag nannte der frühere UN-Generalsekretär Kofi Annan zum Abschluss einer internationalen Geberkonferenz in Berlin. Deutschland gibt bis 2010 rund 600 Millionen Euro. Der 2002 gegründete Fonds hat durch seine Arbeit nach eigenen Angaben bisher zwei Millionen Menschenleben retten können. Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel hatte zum Auftakt der Geberkonferenz in einem dringenden Appell zum Kampf gegen AIDS, Malaria und Tuberkulose aufgeruf...
Zehn Milliarden Dollar zur Seuchenbekämpfung [ Spiegel - Germany ] — (Deutsch)
Die Zusage überraschte selbst Optimisten: Knapp zehn Milliarden US-Dollar in den nächsten drei Jahren sammelte die Geberkonferenz des Globalen Fonds zur Bekämpfung von Aids, Malaria und Tuberkulose. Genug ist es dennoch nicht...
Bundesregierung verspricht hunderte Millionen [ Stern - Germany ] — (English)
Auf der internationalen Geberkonferenz in Berlin hat sich Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel für die Bekämpfung von Aids, Tuberkulose und Malaria stark gemacht. Von der Bundesregierung kommt ein großer Betrag der erhofften 5,7 Milliarden Euro...
How Adhesive Protein Causes Malaria [ Science Daily - United States ] — (English)
Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet (KI) and the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control (SMI) have identified the biochemical mechanism behind the adhesive protein that give rise to particularly serious malaria in children...
Proteine wie Klebstoff [ scienzz magazin - Germany ] — (Deutsch)
Wissenschaftler aus Schweden und Uganda haben die Wirkungsweise der sogenannten "klebrigen Eiweiße" entschlüsselt. Sie werden von Malariaparasiten gebildet und lösen besonders schwere Formen der Krankheit aus. Die Arbeit wurde von der EU kofinanziert...
Giftiger Streit [Tagesspiegel - Germany ] — (Deutsch)
Gegen Moskitos kommt das Insektizid DDT wieder zum Einsatz – das hat nicht nur positive Folgen...
Netze für den Kampf gegen Malaria [Tagesspiegel - Germany ] — (English)
Von den Fluten in Afrika ist mittlerweile die ganze Sahelzone betroffen: Hunderttausende Menschen sind auf der Flucht, die Ernte ist zerstört – Afrika steht vor einer humanitären Katastrophe...
PAN African Health Congress: The countdown begins [] — (English)
Day two commences with the theme of disease management relating to malaria and the challenges facing the continent in this regard...
Tyranny and Disease. The Destruction of Healthcare in Zimbabwe [Africa Fighting Malaria] — (English)
Healthcare in Zimbabwe has collapsed under the misrule of the Mugabe regime, according to a new report released today by Africa Fighting Malaria and Bulawayo's Archbishop Pius Ncube. With life expectancy possibly as low as 30 years and with the public health system all but destroyed, Zimbabwe faces a humanitarian disaster...
Vietnam malaria drug 'caused no harm' [The Age - Melbourne,Victoria,Australia] — (English)
Australia's Vietnam veterans were not harmed by taking the drug Dapsone to protect against malaria, a new study has found. The finding has eased veterans' concerns that Dapsone might have contributed to health problems they suffered in later life...
Fiji police officer dies of malaria contracted in Liberia [Radio New Zealand International - Wellington,New Zealand] — (English)
A Fiji police officer who spent more than a year in Liberia on United Nations peace duties has died of malaria within days of his return. Sergeant Kameli Bulinalulu, 40, left for Liberia in August last year and had only just returned when he was taken to hospital on Sunday. He died two days later of cerebral malaria which he had contracted in Liberia...
Kenya: Experts Warn Malaria Drugs Likely to Run Out [East African Standard (Nairobi)] — (English)
A crisis looms over an impending shortage of the new anti-malaria drug, Artemisinin, even as Kenya is among nine African countries set to benefit from a Sh6 billion initiative to improve health systems...
Nigeria: Understanding Aduku's Anti-Malaria Initiative [Leadership (Abuja)] — (English)
The vision of President Umaru Musa Yar' Adua, is to make Nigeria one of the 20 biggest economies of the world by the year 2020. To realise this noble vision, the health indicators of the country must become one of the targets for improvement for such a vision to be realised. It is a common saying that "Health is Wealth" and no country can develop without healthy citizens. It is also a known fact that no country can become a top world economy with the kind of health statistics that are being bandied about by various health agencies in the country ...
26.09.2007
Malaria Treatment in the United States [ JAMA - United States ] — (English)
To the Editor: In their review of the treatment of malaria in the United States, Dr Griffith and colleagues provided a concise summary for clinicians who infrequently encounter malaria. While the information is important, they propose that the second question to be asked when managing malaria is "What is the parasite density?" Although there is an association between the peripheral parasite count and patient outcome, it is a relatively weak one. Other clinical and laboratory variables have stronger prognostic value, particularly acidosis and pulmonary and renal disease...
Notice to Readers: Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test [JAMA, 2007;298:1394 - United States] — (English)
On June 13, 2007, the Food and Drug Administration approved BinaxNOW® Malaria (Inverness Medical Professional Diagnostics, Scarborough, Maine), the first malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) authorized for use in the United States. Malaria RDTs, which detect circulating malaria-specific antigens, already are available in other countries and often are used in settings where malaria microscopy is not available. In the United States, use of the RDT can decrease the amount of time required to determine whether a patient is infected with malaria...
JHPIEGO Receives Award For Work In Malaria [Medical News Today (press release) - UK] — (English)
JHPIEGO, an international health organization affiliated with The Johns Hopkins University, has been named Non-Governmental Organization of the Year by the Malaria Foundation International (MFI). JHPIEGO was honored for its work in advocacy, education, and training with a special emphasis towards preventing and treating malaria in pregnant women throughout Africa...
Varying efficacy of intermittent preventive treatment for malaria in infants in two similar trials: public health implications [Malaria Journal 2007, 6:132 (26 September 2007)] — (English)
The high ITN coverage in Ifakara is the most likely explanation for the difference in IPTi efficacy on clinical malaria. Combination of IPTi and ITNs may be the most cost-effective tool for malaria control currently available, and needs to be explored in current and future studies...
Liberia: Malaria Kills 65, 000 Children Annually [The Analyst (Monrovia)] — (English)
The Acting Program Manager of the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Monrovia, Tolbert G. Nyenswah, has revealed that about 65, 000 children under five die from the killer disease malaria each year in Liberia...
Nigeria: Govt Gets $201 Million to Fight HIV/Aids, Malaria [Daily Champion (Lagos)] — (English)
For comming third on the table of countries giving care to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) behind India and South Africa respectively, Nigeria has won about $201 million to fight the disease and malaria for five year programmes...
New anti-malaria drug in Malawi [Malawi's Daily Times - Malawi] — (English)
Malawi on Monday received the first consignment of new life-saving malaria drug, Artemisinin Combination Therapy (ACTs), provided by the US government as part of President George W. Bush’s Malaria Initiative...
25.09.2007
Debt Conversion Initiative Launched To Fund Health Programs [The Global Fund] — (English)
A debt conversion initiative was launched today which breaks new ground in financing the fight against the world's three most dangerous infectious diseases. The German and Indonesian governments signed an agreement to cancel 50 million Euro of Indonesia's debt on the condition that Indonesia invests half of the freed-up money into national health programs through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria...
Gates Foundation Hot on the Trail of Malaria [About.com - United States] — (English)
The Seattle Times has published a series of articles about the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and its ongoing battle with malaria...
A Q&A with Bill Gates [ Seattle Times - United States] — (English)
Bill Gates and his foundation have spent more than $1 billion to fight malaria, putting a little-known disease back in the public consciousness. Now the man who revolutionized computing hopes his next big launch will be the world's first malaria vaccine...
Reviving low-tech solutions [ Seattle Times - United States ] — (English)
Selling the idea to the Gates Foundation was a little like peddling computer punch cards to Microsoft. Sure, bed nets and bug sprays protect people from malaria. But tools that pre-date the Eisenhower administration didn't hold much appeal for Bill Gates and his high-tech-minded philanthropy...
Gates Foundation tackles a giant that preys on Africa's children [ Seattle Times - United States ] — (English)
Scientists have been chasing a vaccine for nearly four decades, only to watch it slip away time and again, like a genie who beckons but never delivers. This time their wish may finally be granted...
Gates Foundation's malaria effort foretells new role for Seattle [ Seattle Times - United States ] — (English)
Today's story explains that malaria is a horrible, ancient disease that once existed in our country. Because it has been gone from here for so long, many people fail to appreciate that it still kills more than a million people a year, 90 percent of them children in Africa under the age of 5. Malaria kills a child every 30 seconds, according to World Health Organization estimates. With a commitment of more than $1 billion, the Gates Foundation has drawn new attention and energy to doing something about it...
Quick facts [Seattle Times - United States] — (English)
Half a billion cases of malaria occur every year, more than 60 percent in Africa. Four Nobel Prizes honored malaria-related work, including discovery of the parasite and mosquito vector and development of DDT...
A baby's mother mourns in Zambia's sea of suffering [Seattle Times - United States] — (English)
The demons of malaria, AIDS...
Fact Sheet: A Mission Of Liberation Around The World [ Business Wire - United States ] — (English)
The President calls on UN member states to work together to turn the tide against HIV/AIDS and to eliminate malaria...
UK makes £1 billion commitment to Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in poor countries [DFID - UK] — (English)
Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development, today announced a commitment of £1 billion up to 2015 to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM). As part of this commitment, the UK will provide £360 million for 2008-2010, which is a 20% increase on our current funding...
Benguela: Hospital do Cubal trata mais de sete mil pacientes em nove meses [Angola Press] — (Portuguesa)
Sete mil e setecentos pacientes, com diversas patologias foram tratados desde Janeiro ao mês em curso, no hospital municipal do Cubal, a 171 quilómetros de Benguela...
Standardizing estimates of the Plasmodium falciparum parasite rate [Malaria Journal 2007, 6:131 (25 September 2007)] — (English)
The parasite rate is a commonly reported index of malaria transmission intensity. The analysis of over 140 studies suggests that the relationship between parasite rate and age is predictable across the observed range of malaria endemicity. This new algorithm provides a reliable method for standardizing parasite rate for the purposes of comparing studies and mapping malaria endemicity...
Liberia: UNHCR Donates 250, 000 Mosquito Nets To NMCP [The Analyst (Monrovia)] — (English)
In an effort to help prevent spread of malaria in and around the country, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has donated 250, 000 pieces of treated mosquito nets to the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) in Monrovia...
Bénin: La coordonnatrice satisfaite de l'opération [L'Autre Quotidien] — (Français)
La coordonnatrice du Programme National de Lutte contre le Paludisme, Hortense Kossou, s'est rendue le week-end dernier dans les communes de Tori Bossito et de Bonou. C'est pour s'assurer de la conformité des balles convoyées avec celles réceptionnées par le comité de vérification et de réception des moustiquaires dans ces deux communes...
24.09.2007
What Protects Us From Sunburn Also Protects Crayfish Against Bacteria [ Science Daily - United States ] — (English)
The production of melanin is an important protective reaction that gives us a suntan, for instance. In invertebrate animals it has long been observed that parasites, fungi, and other invaders become encapsulated in melanin. In many animals this can be seen as black-brown spots on the shell that show that the animal has had an infection. "In mosquitoes that can harbor the malaria parasite it has also been observed that the mosquito's ability to form such melanin capsules often determines whether it will be able to spread the disease to humans," says Haipeng Liu...
United malaria studies more efficient [ScienceAlert - Australia] — (English)
Malaria drug and vaccine research is booming. According to a report launched 20 September 2007 in the UK by Australian researchers at The George Institute for International Health, 16 new malaria vaccine candidates are now in clinical trials; six new malaria drugs are about to reach the market; and by 2011 we will have up to 12 new anti-malarial drug product registered...
Laser eye can detect fake medicines that cost lives [The Times - UK] — (English)
A laser than can detect counterfeit drugs through packaging has been developed by British scientists, allowing investigators to check on their authenticity without opening sealed bottles or packs. Trials of the technique have proved in principle that the laser can tell real antimalarial medicines from fakes, suggesting that it could play a major role in controlling one of the world’s most significant counterfeiting rackets. Between 50 and 90 per cent of malaria medicines sold in some African countries are thought to be fake, and account for up to 20 per cent of deaths from the disease...
No New Confirmed Cases of Malaria in Jamaica in Three Months, Health Ministry Says [GlobalHealthReporting.org] — (English)
Jamaica has not recorded any new cases of malaria in the past three months, the Ministry of Health recently announced, the Caribbean Media Corporation reports. The last case of malaria was reported on June 19, according to the ministry...
The effect of parental rearing conditions on offspring life history in Anopheles stephensi [Malaria Journal 2007, 6:130 (24 September 2007)] — (English)
The environmental conditions experienced by parents are increasingly recognized to impact the success of offspring. This is the first evidence of parental effects on progeny in Anopheles. Such effects could influence mosquito breeding programmes, some malaria control measures and have epidemiological and evolutionary consequences...
Forecasting malaria incidence based on monthly case reports and environmental factors in Karuzi, Burundi, 1997-2003 [Malaria Journal 2007, 6:129 (24 September 2007)] — (English)
The statistical model derived from the analysis of malaria incidence case data, monthly rainfall, temperature and vegetation index is presented as a basis for forecasting monthly malaria incidence rates. The biological plausibility of the predictor variables is adequately discussed...
Uganda: British Minister Urges On Malaria Fight [New Vision (Kampala)] — (English)
UGANDA needs to put in more effort in the fight to eradicate malaria, the British shadow Minister for Health, Stephen O'Brien, has said...
Bénin: 195 et 145 balles de moustiquaires réceptionnées à Torri-Bossito et à Bonou [Fraternité (Cotonou)] — (Français)
Les 12, 13, 14 octobre 2007, aura lieu sur toute l'étendue du territoire national la distribution gratuite de moustiquaires imprégnées à longue durée d'action aux enfants de moins de 5 ans et aux femmes enceintes...
23.09.2007
Challenges in the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Malaria [Arch Intern Med. 2007;167:1827-1836] — (English)
Substantial overlap in the clinical and laboratory characteristics of malaria and HIV-related syndromes generates potential difficulties in AIDS staging and in diagnosis and management of patients at risk for coinfection. Significant drug-drug interactions and overlapping drug toxicity profiles further complicate concurrent management of malaria and HIV. Standard clinical guidelines do not reflect the full complexity of the interactions and overlaps between the 2 infections. Clinicians who manage HIV-infected patients in malaria-affected regions should systematically consider malaria when evaluating patients with a broad spectrum of symptoms. Further research is urgently needed to define best practices for prevention, diagnosis, and management of HIV-malaria coinfection in this region...
22.09.2007
Balanced Approach Should Be Taken When Considering DDT Use, Letter to Editor Says [GlobalHealthReporting.org] — (English)
Although the pesticide DDT has played an "important role in malaria control" in developing countries, "its potential harmful effects should be recognized," Barbara Cohn, Piera Cirillo, Robert Scholtz and Mary Wolff of the Public Health Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, write in a Wall Street Journal letter to the editor. The authors write that breast cancer, premature births, shortened lactation and impaired neurological function in infants are associated with the use of DDT. According to the authors, the evidence suggests that "prevention of DDT exposure among humans may be warranted" or that exposure could be reduced by using "prudent approaches to pesticide application or substitutes." They conclude that although malaria is a global public health issue, "the side effects of DDT are not zero" and a balanced view of its use "should be encouraged" (Cohn et al., Wall Street Journal, 9/22)...
Polish soldier in Afghanistan goes down with malaria [Thenews.pl - Warsaw,Poland] — (English)
One of the Polish soldiers serving in Afghanistan has been taken ill with malaria, a correspondent of the Polish Radio reveals. The information was confirmed by spokesman for the Polish Military Contingent, Mayor Wojciech Kaliszczak...
Articles requiring subscription
Eff ect of expanded insecticide-treated bednet coverage on child survival in rural Kenya: a longitudinal study [The Lancet] — (English)
100 children died over 2 years. Overall mortality rates were much the same in the fi rst and second years of the study (14·5 per 1000 person-years in the fi rst year and 15·4 per 1000 person-years in the second). After adjustment
for age, time period, and a number of other possible confounding variables, ITN use was associated with a 44%
reduction in mortality (mortality rate ratio 0·56, 95% CI 0·33–0·96; p=0·04). This level of protection corresponds to
about seven deaths averted for every 1000 ITNs distributed. A combined approach of social marketing followed by mass free distribution of ITNs translated into child survival eff ects that are comparable with those seen in previous randomised controlled trials....
Programme diversity is key to the success of
insecticide-treated bednets [The Lancet] — (English)
In today’s Lancet, Greg Fegan and colleagues, from the Kenyan Medical Research Institute, provide important mortality data from a large national programme on insecticide-treated bednets in Kenya. They report an impressive 44% reduction in the risk of dying in children who used the bednets. Their work confi rms earlier fi ndings from The Gambia2 and Tanzania, which evaluated smaller, shorter, and less diversified programmes. The public release of these data coincides
with the new WHO Position Statement on insecticidetreated bednets. With this work, the use of insecticidetreated bednets is confirmed as a major child-survival intervention in malaria-endemic settings in sub-Saharan Africa. The ongoing switch to long-lasting insecticidal bednets will further reinforce this intervention. One puzzling fi nding reported by Fegan and colleagues is the lack of eff ect on total child mortality (combined users and non-users) during the 2 years of follow-up.
In view of the important protective eff ect to users, we would have expected a reduction in total mortality from year 1 (when coverage went up from 7% to 23·5%) to year 2 (when coverage went up from 23·5% to 67%), but such a reduction was not seen. This finding could be explained by year-to-year fl uctuations in total child mortality, and by the fact that the main distribution of bednets took place towards the end of the observation period, after the second transmission season. This
apparent lack of eff ect might also be due to the small sample size, which did not allow measurement of mortality rates well enough for every year separately...
Mosquito nets reduce child deaths in Kenya [BMJ 2007;335:639 (29 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.335.7621.639-b ] — (English)
A new study has confirmed that bed nets treated with insecticide are lifesaving for children living in sub-Saharan Africa. It showed that a Kenyan national programme to increase coverage between 2004 and 2006 was accompanied by a 44% reduction in deaths in young children who slept under a net, compared with those who didn't (adjusted rate ratio 0.56, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.96). The analysis was confined to children aged under 5, the group most likely to die from malaria. In 2004, only 7% of these children had a bed net. The proportion increased to 67% by 2006 thanks to a combination of strategies, including subsidising the sale of nets on the high street, offering more heavily subsidised nets to pregnant women at clinics, and giving nets away free to all young children. The authors estimate that on average every 1000 bed nets save seven lives. The benefits are likely to be greatest for children living in areas where transmission of malaria is high...
Haemozoin: from melatonin pigment to drug target, diagnostic tool, and immune modulator [The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Volume 7, Issue 10, October 2007, Pages 675-685 ] — (English)
Plasmodium spp produce a pigment (haemozoin) to detoxify the free haem that is generated by haemoglobin degradation. Haemozoin was originally thought to be an inert waste byproduct of the parasite. However, recent research has led to the recognition that haemozoin is possibly of great importance in various aspects of malaria. Haemozoin is the target of many antimalarial drugs, and the unravelling of the exact modes of action may allow the design of novel antimalarial compounds. The detection of haemozoin in erythrocytes or leucocytes facilitates the diagnosis of malaria. The number of haemozoin-containing monocytes and granulocytes has been shown to correlate well with disease severity and may hold the potential for becoming a novel, automated laboratory marker in the assessment of patients. Finally, haemozoin has a substantial effect on the immune system. Further research is needed to clarify these aspects, many of which are important in clinical practice...
A new Inequity-in-Health Index based on Millenium Development Goals: methodology and validation [Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 24 September 2007 ] — (English)
Six variables were used for constructing the IHI was constructed with six variables: underweight children, child mortality, death from malaria in children aged 0–4, death from malaria at all ages, births attended by skilled health personnel, and immunization against measles. The IHI had high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.8504), was reliable (Spearman > 0.9, P = 0.0000), and had 0.3033π around the world (range: 0π–0.5984π). IHI had high correlation with the human development and poverty indexes, health gap indicator, life expectancy at birth, probability of dying before 40 years of age, and Gini coefficients (Spearman > 0.7, P = 0.0000). IHI discriminated countries by income, region, indebtedness, and corruption level (Kruskal Wallis, P < 0.01). IHI had sensitivity to change (P = 0.0000)...
Hygiene hypothesis: Innate immunity, malaria and multiple sclerosis [Medical Hypotheses, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 21 September 2007] — (English)
The establishment of new hygienic conditions plays a role in the appearance of autoimmunity in “westernalised” countries. Consistently, but still unconvincingly, several epidemiological and immunogenetic evidences link the disappearance of malaria with the increase of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Sardinia, insular Italy. To this purpose, we have made an attempt to build a relationship between malaria disappearance and MS under the light of the hygiene hypothesis. This relationship has taken into account the MS frequency increase soon after malaria eradication in Sardinia, the present malaria endemism in Africa, the innate immune system activity here represented by Chitotriosidase (Chit), an hydrolytic enzyme produced by macrophages, and an unproductive polymorphism of Chit gene (CHIT1) as a measure of the genetic weight of Plasmodium-related immunity in these populations...
Smoke and malaria: are interventions to reduce exposure to indoor air pollution likely to increase exposure to mosquitoes? [Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 20 September 2007 ] — (English)
Indoor air pollution from the domestic use of biomass fuels by poor households in developing countries is known to be harmful to health, and efforts are being made to address this problem by changes in fuel type, stove technology, house design and fuel-use practices. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that smoke may play an important role by providing protection from biting insects and that efforts to reduce smoke may increase exposure, particularly to mosquitoes and malaria. This paper reviews the literature relating to the repellent effect of smoke on mosquitoes and finds that there is currently no evidence that smoke from domestic fuel use provides effective protection from mosquitoes and malaria. Given the limited number and quality of studies, this finding cannot be interpreted as conclusive. The literature relating to house ventilation and mosquito entry was also reviewed, and an association between eaves spaces and increased indoor mosquito density was noted. Additionally, literature on the effect of soot on the efficacy of insecticide-treated bed nets was considered, but no direct impact was shown. Efforts to reduce indoor air pollution remain desirable even in areas of malaria transmission...
Prevention of malaria in long-term travelers [Trends in Parasitology, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 20 September 2007] — (English)
Long-term travellers have a high risk of acquiring malaria, and also of discontinuing malaria prophylaxis. A review by Lin Chen and colleagues addresses the relatively neglected area of malaria prevention in long-term travellers. The essential elements of malaria prevention are discussed: awareness of risk, bite avoidance, chemoprophylaxis, rapid diagnosis, stand-by emergency treatment, and the importance of tailoring recommendations to the individual...
Doctors should speak out on climate change, expert says [BMJ 2007;335:636 (29 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.39349.474502.DB ] — (English)
In some areas certain diseases would decline. Modelling indicated that malaria would become less prevalent in east Africa as the region became more arid and less hospitable to mosquitoes. But although it was good that malaria would decline, the aridity would mean it was also less hospitable to humans...
The dangers of attacking disease programmes for developing countries [BMJ 2007;335:646 (29 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.39349.591296.59] — (English)
Roger England has launched yet another broadside attack on programmes for priority diseases in poor countries (BMJ 2007;335:565 doi: 10.1136/bmj.39335.520463.94 and 2007;334:344 doi: 10.1136/bmj.39113.402361.94). In his latest Personal View, he claims that "disease specific global programmes [are] not the way to help Africa," instead that they cause "big problems for recipients," and that money for HIV/AIDS is "the worst." He claims that off-budget money leads to distortions; that there are duplications of plans, operations, and monitoring; and that priority disease programmes are neither cost effective nor sustainable...
Prepared in cooperation with OMS ANGOLA INFO.
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