12.10.2007
WHO product testing of malaria rapid tests - Clarification regarding WHO procurement and pre-qualification [WPRO] — (English)
WHO recently called for expressions of interest (EOI) from manufacturers for submission of antigen-detecting malaria rapid diagnostic tests to the WHO malaria diagnostics evaluation programme. WHO has now determined that submission of the EOI will be a prerequisite for manufacturers to be invited to tender for WHO procurement for 2008, and will also be a prerequisite for consideration for early entry into the WHO prequalification programme for malaria rapid tests under development by WHO / Essential Health Technologies / Diagnostics and Laboratory Technology (DLT) section. In view of these clarifications, the deadline for submissions of expressions of interest to particpate in the first round of product testing has been extended to October 31, 2007. The product testing programme is part of the joint WHO-FIND programme on quality assurance of malaria rapid diagnostic tests. Further details, and requirements for submission of the EOI, can be found at www.wpro.who.int/sites/rdt or through mal-rdt@wpro.who.int....
World Bank Group Report on Malaria in Africa Highlights Progress Towards Goal of Significantly Reducing Malaria Deaths [WB Press Release] — (English)
A new World Bank report says in just two years nearly 20 million long lasting insecticidal nets and more than 15 million doses of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) are on course to be distributed under the World Bank Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa...
The World Bank Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa [WB Publication] — (English)
Scaling-up for Impact (SuFI) A Two-year Progress Report, prepared by the Malaria Implementation Resource Team, Africa Region, World Bank...
DNDi Welcomes Directors Shing Chang & Jean-Pierre Paccaud [DNDI News] — (English)
The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), a non-profit, drug R&D partnership, announced the appointments of two new members of its executive team: Shing Chang joins as the new Director of Research and Development, and Jean-Pierre Paccaud will serve as Director of Business Development...
11.10.2007
Fighting Malaria [Forbes - NY,] — (English)
Each year 500 million people get malaria, and 1 million die from it. Most of those are kids in Africa, where the malaria parasite is transmitted with deadly efficiency. In some places, 30% of all child deaths are from the disease...
World Bank's 2-year report on special anti-malarial project says success brings expansion [International Herald Tribune] — (English)
In its first two years, the World Bank's Booster Program for Malaria Control has put in operation 19 anti-malarial projects in 18 sub-Saharan countries at a cost of almost $500 million (€350 million), the bank said Thursday...
Saving Children's Lives: It's Not That Hard [Wired News - USA] — (English)
Which of the following diseases or health conditions do you think causes the most deaths among children in the world's poorest countries: HIV/AIDS, malaria, diarrhea, complications during birth, pneumonia or measles?...
Episcopal Relief and Development awarded $1.5 million grant for malaria program [Episcopal-Life - New York,NY,USA] — (English)
Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) is the receipient of a five-year $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Malaria Communities Program (MCP)...
The conquest of malaria [Gulf News - Dubai,United Arab Emirates] — (English)
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has announced plans to set up a research centre in the UAE that will focus on developing cheap anti-malarial medicines...
St. Jude partnership to work on malaria drugs [Bizjournals.com - Charlotte,NC,USA] — (English)
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has teamed up with Collaborative Drug Discovery Inc. to speed the development of new drugs to overcome resistant strains of malaria...
In U.S. Poll, Most Fail a Quiz on Global Causes of Child Deaths [New York Times - United States] — (English)
The poll, sponsored by a coalition of groups trying to raise awareness of child mortality, found that 42 percent of Americans guessed that AIDS killed the most children. But the disease is responsible for only 3 percent of the 9.7 million deaths a year of children younger than 5...
Haemoglobin C and S Role in Acquired Immunity against Plasmodium falciparum Malaria [Scientist Live - London,UK] — (English)
A recently proposed mechanism of protection for haemoglobin C (HbC; β6Glu→Lys) links an abnormal display of PfEMP1, an antigen involved in malaria pathogenesis, on the surface of HbC infected erythrocytes together with the observation of reduced cytoadhesion of parasitized erythrocytes and impaired rosetting in vitro...
Bénin: Sortie massive de la population contre le paludisme [L'Autre Quotidien via AllAfrica.com] — (Fran&ccedi;ais)
Le Président de la République, Boni YAYI a procédé dans l'après midi d'hier, au lancement officiel de la campagne nationale de distribution gratuite de moustiquaires imprégnées d'insecticide de longues durée d'action, de déparasitage et d'administration de vitamine A aux enfants de moins de 5 ans. La cérémonie de lancement a eu lieu au stade municipal de Ouidah...
Bénin: Boni Yayi lance la campagne de distribution gratuite de moustiquaires [Fraternité (Cotonou) via AllAfrica.com] — (Fran&ccedi;ais)
Le stade municipal de Ouidah a servi de cadre hier, à la cérémonie officielle de lancement de la campagne de distribution gratuite de moustiquaires imprégnées d'insecticide à longue durée d'action aux enfants âgés de moins de 5 ans...
Bénin: L'Amiral Timothy Ziemer en séjour au Bénin [Fraternité (Cotonou) via AllAfrica.com] — (Fran&ccedi;ais)
L'Amiral Timothy Ziemer, coordonnateur de l'initiative présidentielle de lutte contre le paludisme (Pmi) du président américain Georges W. Bush est en séjour au Bénin depuis le lundi dernier et ce, jusqu'au 12 octobre...
Bénin: Une moustiquaire pour chaque enfant de moins de 5 ans [Fraternité (Cotonou) via AllAfrica.com] — (Fran&ccedi;ais)
1.700.000 moustiquaires imprégnées d'insecticides à longue durée d'action d'un coût global de 5.683.000.000 Fcfa, ont été acquises sur un fonds du budget national avec l'aide des partenaires financiers et techniques tels que la Banque mondiale, l'Unicef et l'Usaid, pour être gratuitement distribués aux enfants âgés de moins de 5 ans sur toute l'étendue du territoire national...
10.10.2007
Role of information and communication networks in malaria survival [Malaria Journal 2007, 6:136 (10 October 2007)] — (English)
The results suggest that information and communication networks can substantially scale up the effectiveness of the existing resources for malaria prevention...
Primaquine Clears Submicroscopic Plasmodium falciparum Gametocytes that Persist after Treatment with Sulphadoxine-Pyrimethamine and Artesunate [PLOS Clinical Trials] — (English)
PQ clears submicroscopic gametocytes after treatment with SP+AS and the persisting gametocytes circulated at densities that are unlikely to contribute to malaria transmission. For individuals without severe anaemia, addition of a single dose of PQ to an efficacious antimalarial drug combination is a safe approach to reduce malaria transmission following treatment...
A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Phase Ia Malaria Vaccine Trial of Two Virosome-Formulated Synthetic Peptides in Healthy Adult Volunteers [PLOS Clinical Trials] — (English)
The present study demonstrates that three immunizations with the virosomal malaria vaccine components PEV301 or/and PEV302 (containing 10 µg or 50 µg of antigen) are safe and well tolerated. At appropriate antigen doses seroconversion rates of 100% were achieved. Two injections may be sufficient for eliciting an appropriate immune response, at least in individuals with pre-existing anti-malarial immunity. These results justify further development of a final multi-stage virosomal vaccine formulation incorporating additional malaria antigens...
K25m for malaria fight - PNG/Pacific/Health/WHO [PNG Post-Courier - Australia] — (English)
The Australian government, through AusAID, has committed K25 million towards the fight against malaria in PNG over the next three years, starting in 2008. This was revealed by World Health Organisation (WHO) PNG representative Dr Eigil Sorensen during the opening of the 14th South West Pacific Malaria meeting in Madang yesterday. Dr Sorensen said malaria continued to be a major public health problem in PNG as well as neighbouring Pacific countries including Solomon Islands and Vanuatu accounting for more than 60 per cent of the cases reported in WHO’s Western Pacific region...
Malaria Scourge: Fighting for Jigawa’s Tomorrow [This Day - Apapa,Lagos,Nigeria] — (English)
According to UNICEF statistics, malaria is the leading cause of death in children under five. It accounts for 29 per cent of deaths in the group. Though male adults are not spared by malaria, available data shows that children and pregnant women are most susceptible to the disease. And, the most unfortunate part of this susceptibility is the fact that the future of the state, and indeed, humanity depends on these two all-important groups. The local population is so vulnerable that the attacks have almost become a 'natural' part of life here...
Killing malaria [The Union of Grass Valley - Grass Valley,CA,USA] — (English)
Miraldi, 17, has managed to fuse the things she deals with on a daily basis to create a program beneficial for people worldwide. In the midst of a volleyball season and an ever-demanding senior schedule that requires her to do a senior research project, Miraldi has created a program called "Spike out Malaria" to combat malaria in Africa, a constant struggle for the continent which has garnered nationwide attention via other national prevention programs...
Malaria cases reported in coastal areas [Hindu - Chennai,India] — (English)
The high prevalence of malaria in the Rameswaram island and several coastal villages of the district has caused concern among the public...
9.10.2007
Gates Foundation opens new grant program [BusinessWeek - USA] — (English)
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will commit $100 million over five years to fund fast-track grants for treatments against health challenges facing poor countries...
Distribution of Nets Splits Malaria Fighters [NYT - USA] — (English)
Recently, Dr. Arata Kochi, the blunt new director of the World Health Organization’s malaria program, declared that as far as he was concerned, “the debate is at an end.” Virtually the only way to get the nets to poor people, he said, is to hand out millions free...
Long-Hidden Dangers? [Washington Post - USA] — (English)
Early Exposure to DDT May Raise Risk of Breast Cancer...
Induction of multi-antigen multi-stage immune responses against Plasmodium falciparum in rhesus monkeys, in the absence of antigen interference, with heterologous DNA prime/poxvirus boost immunization [Malaria Journal 2007, 6:135 (9 October 2007)] — (English)
The concept of a multi-component malaria vaccine that induces protective immune responses against liver and blood stages is a sound one and likely to be necessary for production of a vaccine of high efficacy...
Malaria in Kingston, Jamaica: Recommendations Removed [Government of Canada Newsroom (press release) - Ottawa,ON,Canada] — (English)
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) no longer recommends malaria preventive medication (prophylaxis) for travel to Kingston, Jamaica. There have been no new locally acquired malaria cases reported since June 18, 2007...
Taking the sting out of malaria [Newindpress - Chennai,Tamil Nadu,India] — (English)
Faced with an uphill task of controlling malaria, the Orissa Government is carrying out GIS mapping of all its districts...
8.10.2007
Uganda opens first AIDS, malaria drugs factory [Reuters - UK] — (English)
A factory producing low-cost drugs to treat HIV/AIDS and malaria -- Africa's two biggest killers -- opened in Uganda on Monday...
USAID Announces First Malaria Grants [VoA - USA] — (English)
A senior U.S official has said the Malaria Communities Program draws on the power of the faith-based and community partners serving on the frontlines to prevent and combat the disease. Jay Hein, Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives told VOA that engaging these groups that have local connections and have built trust greatly heightens the prospects for long-term success...
Liberia: Malaria Deaths to Be Reduced By Half in 2010 [The Analyst (Monrovia) via AllAfrica.com] — (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 by the year 2010, the devastation of he killer disease, malaria is expected to be reduced by half...
Uganda: Rural Areas to Get Anti-Malaria Drugs [New Vision (Kampala) via AllAfrica.com] — (English)
THE Ministry of Health is designing a programme to ensure that effective and affordable anti-malarial drugs are available in rural areas. The ministry, together the Medicines for Malaria Venture, is to provide high-quality subsidised artemisinin-based combination therapies to the most vulnerable population in collaboration with the private sector...
Congo-Kinshasa: Des moustiquaires imprégnées d'insecticide réduisent de 44 % la mortalité [Le Potentiel (Kinshasa) via AllAfrica.com] — (English)
La généralisation de l'emploi de moustiquaires imprégnées d'insecticides permet de réduire de 44 % la mortalité des jeunes enfants dans plusieurs zones d'Afrique. Selon Doctissimo le magazine, plusieurs essais randomisés ont clairement montré les avantages apportés par ces moustiquaires dans la lutte contre le paludisme...
Impact of home-based management of malaria on health outcomes in Africa: a systematic review of the evidence
[Malaria Journal 2007, 6:134 (8 October 2007)] — (English)
Home-based management of malaria, which involves presumptively treating febrile children with pre-packaged antimalarial drugs distributed by members of the community, is promoted as a major strategy to improve prompt delivery of effective malaria treatment in Africa. Of 1,069 potentially relevant publications identified, only six studies were identified as meeting inclusion criteria. Heterogeneity of the evaluations, including variability in study design, precluded meta-analysis and overall results were mixed...
Malaria product portfolio would benefit from greater cohesion amongst stakeholders [Innovations Report - Germany] — (English)
Malaria drug and vaccine research is booming. According to a report launched today 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...
Eastland(TM) staerkt ihre Position im Kampf gegen Malaria [FAZ - Germany] — (Deutsch)
Die in Australien ansaessige Eastland(TM) Medical Systems Ltd freut sich bekannt zu geben, ihre Position im Kampf gegen Malaria erneut staerken zu koennen...
7.10.2007
'Forgotten epidemic' afflicts thousands in Peru
[Houston Chronicle - United States] — (English)
Although malaria was once nearly eradicated in Peru, the disease is making a devastating comeback, waylaying entire villages in the Amazon jungle...
Distribution de moustiquaires par Astrid en Tanzanie pour lutter contre la malaria [RTL - France] — (Français)
Distribution de moustiquaires par Astrid en Tanzanie pour lutter contre la malaria...
Govt fails to utilise malaria funds [Newindpress - Chennai,Tamil Nadu,India] — (English)
Multiple interventions and huge funds have not helped the State successfully combat malaria which continues to be one of its biggest public health hazards...
6.10.2007
U.S. To Release $7million For Africa Malaria Activities [Voice of America - USA] — (English)
The U.S. government is to release nearly $7 million to help extend the coverage of malaria prevention and control activities in African communities most affected by malaria...
Articles requiring subscription
How the world let malaria off the hook [The New Scientist, Volume 196, Issue 2624, 6 October 2007, Pages 58-59] — (English)
DDT was the world's best weapon against malaria. It clearly harms the environment, but have bans on its use led to millions of avoidable deaths? ...
Characterization of the antibody response against Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein-1 in human volunteers [Infect Immun. 2007 Oct 8] — (English)
The immune response against the Plasmodium falciparum variant surface antigen PfEMP1 is a key component of clinical immunity against falciparum malaria. In this study we used sera from human volunteers who had been infected with the P. falciparum 3D7 strain to investigate the development, specificity and dynamics of anti-PfEMP1 antibodies measured against six different 3D7 DBL1alpha fusion proteins. We observed that a parasitemia of 20 to 200 infected erythrocytes per microL was required to trigger an antibody response to DBL1alpha and that antibodies against one DBL1alpha variant cross-react with other DBL1alpha variants. Both the serum and purified IgGs were able to agglutinate infected erythrocytes and purified anti-DBL1alpha IgGs bound to the live infected red blood cell surface in a punctate surface pattern, confirming that the IgGs recognise native PfEMP1. Analysis of sera from tourists naturally infected with P. falciparum suggests that the anti-PfEMP1 antibodies often persisted more than 100 days after a single infection. These results help to further understand the development of acquired immunity to P. falciparum infections...
Plasmodium falciparum Apical Membrane Antigen 1(AMA1) immunization: Fine specificity of antibodies depends on species immunized [Infect Immun. 2007 Oct 8] — (English)
At least a million people, mainly African children under 5 years old, still die yearly from malaria, and the burden of disease and death has increased. Plasmodium falciparum apical membrane antigen 1 (PfAMA1) is one of the most promising blood-stage malarial vaccine candidates. However, the allelic polymorphism observed in this protein is a potential stumbling block for vaccine development. To overcome the polymorphism and strain specific growth inhibition in vitro, we previously showed in a rabbit model that vaccination with a mixture of two-allelic forms of PfAMA1 induced parasite growth inhibitory antisera against both strains of P. falciparum parasites in vitro. In the present study we have established that, in contrast to the single allelic immunization, the antigen mixture elicits primarily antibodies recognizing common antigenic determinants between the two antigens judged by antigen reversal Growth Inhibition Assay (GIA). We also show that a similar reactivity pattern occurs after immunization of mice. In contrast, sera from rhesus monkeys do not distinguish the two alleles when tested by ELISA or by GIA, regardless of whether the immunogen is a single AMA1 protein or the mixture. This is the first report that a malarial vaccine candidate induced different specificities of functional antibodies depending on the animal species immunized. These observations, as well as data available on human immune responses in endemic areas, suggest that polymorphism in the AMA1 protein may not be as formidable a problem for vaccine development as anticipated from studies in rabbits and mice...
Macrophage-mediated but IFN-{gamma}-independent innate immune responses control the primary wave of Plasmodium yoelii parasitaemia [Infect Immun. 2007 Oct 8] — (English)
In most models of blood stage malaria infection, pro-inflammatory immune responses are required for control of infection and elimination of parasites. We hypothesised therefore that the fulminant infections caused in mice by the lethal strain of Plasmodium yoelii (17XL) might be due to failure to activate a sufficient inflammatory response. Here we have compared the adaptive CD4+ T cell and innate immune response to P. yoelii 17XL with that induced by the self-resolving, non-lethal strain of P. yoelii 17X(NL). During the first 7-9 days of infection, splenic effector CD4+ T cell responses were similar in mice with lethal and non-lethal infections with similar levels of activation in vivo and equivalent proliferation in vitro following mitogenic stimulation. Non-specific T cell hypo-responsiveness was observed at similar levels during both infections and was due, in part, to suppression mediated by CD11b(+) cells. Importantly, however, RAG(-/-) mice were able to control the initial growth phase of non-lethal P. yoelii infection as effectively as wild-type mice, indicating that T and/or B cells play little if any role in control of the primary peak of parasitaemia. Somewhat unexpectedly, we could find no clear role for either NK cells or IFN-gamma in controlling primary P. yoelii infection. In contrast, depletion of monocytes/macrophages exacerbated parasite growth and anaemia during both lethal and non-lethal acute P. yoelii infections, indicating that there is an IFN-gamma, NK cell and T cell independent pathway for induction of effector macrophages during acute malaria infection...
Strong larvicidal activity of three species of Spilanthes (Akarkara) against malaria (Anopheles stephensi Liston, Anopheles culicifacies, species C) and filaria vector (Culex quinquefasciatus Say) [Parasitol Res. 2007 Oct 7] — (English)
A system for biocontrol of malaria and filarial mosquito vectors has been developed using herbal extracts of three Spilanthes species, S. acmella L.var oleraceae Clarke, S. calva L. and S. paniculata Wall ex DC. Cent percent mortalities was achieved against the late third/early fourth instar larvae of A. stephensi Liston, A. culicifacies species C and C. quinquefasciatus Say using crude hexane extract obtained from flower heads of Spilanthes spp. Of the three plant species, S. acmella extract proved to be the most effective in inducing complete lethality at minimum doses, the respective LC50 and LC90 values being 4.57 and 7.83 (A. stephensi), 0.87 and 1.92 (A. culicifacies) and 3.11and 8.89 ppm (C. quinquefasciatus). This was followed by S. calva and S. paniculata extracts, respectively. This is the first report of achieving cent percent lethality against these mosquito larvae using minimal doses of plant extracts from this or any other plant species...
Drug shop regulation and malaria treatment in Tanzania why do shops break the rules, and does it matter? [Oxford Journals: Health Policy and Planning Advance Access published online on October 4, 2007 ] — (English)
Regulatory infringements are extremely common in low-income countries, especially with respect to retail pharmaceutical sales. There have been few practical suggestions on public policy responses other than stricter regulatory enforcement, which governments are often unable, or unwilling, to do. This paper explores the challenges of regulating retail drug sellers, and potential solutions, through a case study of malaria treatment in rural Tanzania where small drug shops are a common source of medicine...
Unraveling the components of protein translocation pathway in human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum [Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Available online 7 September 2007] — (English)
The targeting and translocation of proteins is an essentially required and conserved process in all the living organisms. This complex process involves multiple steps and requires a variety of factors before the protein reaches its final destination. The major components of translocation machinery are signal recognition particle (SRP) and secretory (Sec) complex. These are composed of highly conserved components. SRP contains SRP RNA and other polypeptides such as SRP9, SRP14, SRP19 and SRP54. Sec complex is composed of Sec61αβγ, Sec62 and Sec63. In this review using bioinformatics approach we have shown that the P. falciparum genome contains the homologues for all of these and other factors such as SRP receptor, and TRAM (translocation associated membrane protein), which are required for post- and co-translational protein translocation. We have also shown the various steps of translocation in a hypothetical model...
Anopheles gambiae Purine Nucleoside Phosphorylase: Catalysis, Structure, and Inhibition [Biochemistry, ASAP Article 10.1021/bi7010256 S0006-2960(70)01025-5
Web Release Date: October 6, 2007 ] — (English)
The purine salvage pathway of Anopheles gambiae, a mosquito that transmits malaria, has been identified in genome searches on the basis of sequence homology with characterized enzymes. Purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) is a target for the development of therapeutic agents in humans and purine auxotrophs, including malarial parasites. The PNP from Anopheles gambiae (AgPNP) was expressed in Escherichia coli and compared to the PNPs from Homo sapiens (HsPNP) and Plasmodium falciparum (PfPNP). AgPNP has kcat values of 54 and 41 s-1 for 2'-deoxyinosine and inosine, its preferred substrates, and 1.0 s-1 for guanosine...
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