Latest articles about malaria from the world's press |
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22.10.2007
Government Of Madagascar and Coalition of Global Partners Launch Measles and Malaria Prevention Campaign [ American Red Cress - United States ] — (English)
The government of Madagascar, in collaboration with international partners, is launching a national health campaign to vaccinate more than 2.8 million children against measles and distribute more than 1.5 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets to prevent the spread of malaria—diseases which take the lives of more than 1 million African children each year...
Faire reculer le paludisme : La lutte contre le paludisme dépend du bon usage des moustiquaires imprégnées [Radio des Nations Unies] — (English)
Hervé Verhoosel, Conseiller à «Faire reculer la malaria», un partenariat avec l’OMS, l’Unicef et le FNUAP revient sur les résultats du rapport de l’Unicef sur l’état de la malaria dans le monde...
Access to Health Care in Contexts of Livelihood Insecurity: A Framework for Analysis and Action [ PLOS Medicine United States ] — (English)
This article presents a framework for analysis and action to explore and improve access to health care in resource-poor countries, especially in Africa. The framework links social science and public health research with broader development approaches to poverty alleviation. It was developed in the frame of the ACCESS Programme, which focuses on understanding and improving access to prompt and effective malaria treatment and care in rural Tanzania as an empirical case study [5,6]. The article first provides a brief outline of three approaches to investigating health care access, focusing either on health seeking, health services, or livelihoods. It then presents a framework that combines the three approaches, exemplified with research findings and interventions of the ACCESS Programme...
Father Joe and the vaccine that could save millions [Times Online - UK] — (English)
Developing a vaccine is a very long and complex process, typically spanning more than 15 years. The malaria parasite has added complexities. This, combined with the need to undertake clinical development in countries endemic with malaria and where there are very few hospitals or medical resources as we would know them, and the many religious and linguistic divides, have made the journey of the vaccine a long, difficult and precarious one. Using innovative techniques such as fusing the malaria protein with the genes we use in our Hepatitis B vaccine, producing it in yeast cells and, finally, in 1989, using an innovative, new and adjuvant system to stimulate immune response to the vaccine, Joe has brought us to the brink of a major scientific breakthrough. He is owed a great debt of gratitude from us all for his confidence and tremendous tenacity...
Govt funds research into malaria drugs [Sydney Morning Herald - Sydney,New South Wales,Australia] — (English)
Research to develop new malaria drugs is to get a $1.8 million grant from the Queensland government...
Nigeria: USAID Distributes 60,000 Insecticide, Treated Nets [Leadership (Abuja) via AllAfrica.com] — (English)
Kano State government has lauded the initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for distributing 60,000 long lasting insecticide treated nets to assist in reducing the scourge of malaria...
Congo-Kinshasa: Mubumbano - détournement de 4 000 moustiquaires imprégnées [Le Potentiel (Kinshasa) via AllAfrica.com] — (Français)
La population civile de la localité de Mubumbano dénonce le détournement de 40 ballots de moustiquaires imprégnées disponibilisés pour la campagne de vaccination des enfants de moins de 5 ans...
21.10.2007
Malaria Cases Decrease In W/R [Modern Ghana - Ghana] — (English)
The Western Region recorded a decrease in malaria cases of children under five years from 3.5 percent in 2004 to 2.7 percent in 2006...
20.10.2007
MIM News and Opportunities [MIM] — (English)
The report, entitled 'Malaria and Children – Progress in Intervention Coverage', and launched by UNICEF on behalf of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, records that annual production of bed nets more than doubled – from 30 to 63 million nets – between 2004 and 2006. Bed nets treated with insecticide protect people against being bitten by mosquitoes carrying malaria. Unveiling the report at an international news conference this week, Ann Veneman, executive director of UNICEF, noted that 16 countries in sub-Saharan Africa "have at least tripled their coverage of bed nets since 2000."...
Russia joins fight against African malaria [RussiaToday - Russia] — (English)
Not content with writing off debt from poor countries, Russia is now helping to get rid of Malaria in Africa. It's committed $US 20 MLN to the task, after being approached by the World Bank...
Bush Backs Debt Relief for Liberia [The Associated Press] — (English)
President Bush told Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Thursday that the United States was committed to helping relieve debt and fight malaria, and soon will send Peace Corps teams back into the African nation...
GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONCLUDES TWO-DAY DEBATE ON AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT [ UN News Centre - United States ] — (English)
The two-day joint debate, which heard from some 40 speakers, also examined the causes of conflict and promotion of durable peace in Africa, as well as efforts to meet the goals of the 2001-2010 Decade to Roll Back Malaria...
Secretary-General's remarks to the General Assembly on the New Partnership for Africa's Development and the Causes of Conflict and Promotion of Peace and Development in Africa [United Nations] — (English)
Malaria alone kills more than one million people every year, mostly infants, young children and pregnant women -- and most of them in Africa. In its report on the Decade to Roll Back Malaria, the World Health Organization outlines the significant progress made in the international campaign against this ancient enemy of humanity. We now have the tools and increased resources to control malaria. But there is no time to waste. Every minute we deliberate, another two children die needlessly. Let us keep pushing to reverse the incidence of this killer disease...
UAE to be named malaria-free today [ SahiOnline India ] — (English)
The UAE will be granted malaria-free status by the UN World Health Organisation (WHO) today, crowning years of persistent efforts to eliminate the deadly disease...
19.10.2007
Promising results for malaria jab [BBC - UK] — (English)
Scientists and global health campaigners have welcomed the early results of a malaria vaccine trial in African infants...
Vaccin anti-palu en vue [La Libre Belgium ] — (Français)
Comme nous l'affirmait tout récemment ("La Libre" du 5 octobre 2007), le Dr Awa Marie Coll-Seck, directrice exécutive du partenariat "Roll back malaria" (RBM), dans le cadre d'une mission en Tanzanie en compagnie de la princesse Astrid, les efforts de la lutte contre le paludisme commencent à produire leurs effets...
Un vaccin antipaludéen protège les nouveau-nés [Le Monde - France] — (Français)
n nouvel essai d'un candidat vaccin contre le paludisme donne des résultats encourageants, publiés en ligne, mercredi 17 octobre, sur le site de la revue britannique The Lancet. L'étude, conduite sur des nouveau-nés, a été menée au Mozambique par une équipe internationale dirigée par Pedro Alonso (université de Barcelone). Elle portait sur le vaccin RTS,S/AS02D, mis au point dans le cadre d'un partenariat entre le laboratoire GlaxoSmithKline et l'Initiative pour un vaccin contre le paludisme, lancée grâce à un don de la Fondation Bill et Melinda Gates...
Mozambique: dernière phase des essais du vaccin contre le paludisme en 2008 [Le Monde - France] — (Français)
La troisième et dernière phase d'essai du vaccin contre le paludisme RTS,S/AS02D, mené par le Centre de recherche médicale de Manhiça (CISM), situé près de Maputo, débutera à la mi-2008, a-t-on appris vendredi auprès du CISM...
Progress with malaria vaccine [Mail & Guardian Online - Johannesburg,South Africa] — (English)
The world’s best hope for a malaria vaccine is still on track, with news this week that the RTS,S/AS02D vaccine appeared to cut severe disease by 58% among young Mozambican children...
New Malaria Vaccine Is Shown to Work in Infants Under 1 Year Old, a Study Finds [New York Times - United States] — (English)
The world's most promising malaria vaccine has been shown to work in infants less than a year old, the most vulnerable group, according to a study being published today...
Le paludisme est 500 fois plus complexe que le HIV [ 20 Minutes - France ] — (Français)
En Afrique, un enfant meurt toutes les 10 secondes du paludisme. Et 40% de la population mondiale y est exposé (Afrique, Amérique du sud et Asie du sud). Devant l'urgence, l'institut Pasteur accélère son programme de vaccin contre le paludisme. Le centre de recherche va recevoir le renfort du laboratoire pharmaceutique Sanofi...
Bientôt un vaccin candidat sûr et efficace ? [RFI - France] — (Français)
La division vaccins du groupe pharmaceutique Sanofi-Aventis a signé un accord de collaboration avec l'Institut Pasteur pour le développement d'un vaccin contre le paludisme. Grâce à cet accord, les laboratoires de recherche devraient avoir incessamment accès à des antigènes du parasite, qui ont été identifiés par l'Institut Pasteur...
Paludisme: Sanofi et Institut Pasteur collaborent pour développer un vaccin [Le Monde - France] — (Français)
anofi Pasteur, la division vaccins du groupe pharmaceutique Sanofi-Aventis, a signé un accord de collaboration avec l'Institut Pasteur pour le développement d'un vaccin contre le paludisme, a-t-elle annoncé lundi dans un communiqué...
Ghana: Country Researching Into Malaria Resistance Genes [Public Agenda (Accra) via AllAfrica.com] — (English)
The Navrongo Health Research Centre in the Upper East Region, is undertaking a study aimed at identifying the genes in individuals that protect them against malaria...
Experimental malaria vaccine works in babies [Reuters - USA] — (English)
African babies -- the group most at risk of dying from malaria -- may be protected against the mosquito-borne disease by an experimental vaccine, researchers said on Wednesday...
Antimalaria vaccine candidate rolls towards success [ SciDev.Net United Kingdom ] — (English)
A trial of an antimalaria vaccine in Mozambique has found that it can be safely used in infants and shows promise in protecting them against infection...
Landmark malaria vaccine clears another hurdle in tests on infants [ AFP - France] — (English)
The most ambitious attempt to engineer a vaccine against malaria has cleared another key hurdle, with tests among African babies showing the prototype to be safe and highly protective, according to a study released Wednesday...
Un essai de vaccin anti-palu pour nouveau-nés [ Le Figaro - France ] — (Français)
Un candidat vaccin expérimental réduirait de 62 % le risque d'une infection par le parasite chez les tout-petits...
World healthcare: Malaria vaccine shows promise [LOS ANGELES TIMES] — (English)
The experimental drug's effectiveness among infants in Mozambique opens the door to a wider clinical trial, researchers say...
Angola: U.S. Govt Grants Usd 1.5 Mn for Fight Against Malaria [Angola Press Agency (Luanda) via AllAfrica.com] — (English)
The United States government, through its International Development Agency (USAID), has granted 1.5 million dollars for the coverage of activities of control and prevention against malaria in Angola, ANGOP has learnt...
Angola: 1,5 millions de dollars pour le contrôle de la malaria en Angola [Angola Press Agency (Luanda)] — (Français)
Le Gouvernement américain a octroyé, à travers l'Agence des Etats-Unis pour le Développement International (USAID), 1.5 millions de dollars pour la couverture d'activités de prévention et contrôle de la malaria en Angola...
18.10.2007
Exterminate! Exterminate! [ The Economist United Kingdom ] — (English)
New malaria vaccines—and a pep talk from the man who is paying for some of them—are raising the idea that malaria might be eliminated once and for all...
Paludisme: Bill et Melinda Gates pour un nouvel engagement mondial [Afriqueenligne.com] — (English)
Bill et Melinda Gates ont appelé les décideurs du monde entier à adopter "un objectif audacieux: voir un jour disparaître le dernier cas de paludisme chez l’être humain et le dernier moustique porteur du parasite", souligne un communiqué de presse transmis jeudi à la PANA à Dakar...
Sénégal: Prise en charge du paludisme - Succès du test de dépistage rapide à Mbour [Le Soleil (Dakar) via AllAfrica.com] — (English)
Le paludisme est bien géré dans le district sanitaire de Mbour où sur 101 hospitalisés dans la période allant de juin à août 2007, 2 personnes seulement ont succombé pour motif de neuro-paludisme. La nouveauté cette année aura été le démarrage du Test de dépistage rapide (Tdr) qui permet de faire un diagnostic fiable...
Uganda: Let Army Handle DDT Spraying - Saleh [New Vision (Kampala) via AllAfrica.com] — (English)
GENERALS Elly Tumwine and Salim Saleh have asked the Government to allow the army to spearhead the campaign to spray DDT to kill mosquitoes...
Kenya: U.S. Joins Country in War Against Malaria [The Nation (Nairobi) via AllAfrica.com] — (English)
An ambitious multi-million campaign to curb malaria was launched on Wednesday...
17.10.2007
Insecticide nets fuel progress against malaria in sub-Saharan Africa – UNICEF [UN Press Centre] — (English)
Wider distribution of insecticide-treated nets and more effective treatment for malaria has fuelled significant progress in sub-Saharan Africa’s fight against the disease, which kills at least 800,000 children under the age of five every year, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said today...
Reports of significant progress in fight against malaria [UNICEF Press release] — (English)
Significant gains in the fight against malaria in sub-Saharan Africa are being made, according to a new report released today. The report, Malaria and Children, prepared by UNICEF on behalf of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM), contains a comprehensive assessment of the progress that has been made in malaria control...
UNICEF report shows gains made in reducing the burden of malaria [UNICEF] — (English)
The fight against malaria has made significant global headway, particularly in the areas of insecticide-treated net dissemination and international funding...
New UNICEF Report Says Significant Gains Made in the Fight Against Malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa [VoA - USA] — (English)
A new UNICEF report says significant gains are being made in the fight against malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. The report says controlling the disease is vital to improving child health and economic development...
Uganda: Country a Success Against Malaria - Unicef [Uganda: Country a Success Against Malaria - Unicef] — (English)
THE fight against Malaria in Sub Saharan Africa is gaining ground, according to a new report released yesterday by Unicef and the Roll Back Malaria partnership...
Kampf gegen Malaria macht Fortschritte [Spiegel - Germanyy] — (Deutsch)
Immer mehr Kinder in Afrika schlafen unter Moskitonetzen, und immer mehr Malaria-Infizierte werden medizinisch behandelt, berichtet das Kinderhilfswerk Unicef. Dies sei die beste Nachricht über den Kampf gegen die Infektionskrankheit seit Jahren...
West African Health Officials Struggle to Evaluate Malaria Fight [Voice of America - USA] — (English)
The Roll Back Malaria Partnership of donors, governments and organizations says sub-Saharan Africa is making gains in fighting the disease. But West African health officials say there is still a long way to go, because donors are not focusing on what is most needed. Phuong Tran has more from VOA's West Africa bureau in Dakar...
Newest Malaria Medicine May Be Losing Potency in Asia, WHO Says [Bloomberg - USA] — (English)
A malaria treatment considered the most effective weapon against drug-resistant strains of the lethal disease may be losing potency in Asia, doctors say...
MALI: Looking to communities to lead malaria fight [Reuters] — (English)
What is novel about the project is that it takes malaria treatment to people's homes instead of expecting them to travel to distant health centres - and that it works. The results from both the MSF project and a similar one being run by Save the Children are due to be presented to the government later this year, but the staff of both projects told IRIN that provisionally they have recorded at least a 50 percent improvement in the number of children being treated...
Africa making progress in fight against Malaria [SABCnews South Africa ] — (English)
African countries are making progress in the fight against malaria. Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by parasites...
DHL partners with Unicef against malaria [GBC News] — (English)
DHL, THE WORLD'S LEADING EXpress delivery and logistics company, has said it will roll out a global partnership with Unicef to fight malaria and other childhood diseases following the success of a pilot project in Kenya...
São Tomé e Guiné com resultados positivos na luta contra a malária [Noticias Lusofonas - South Africa ] — (Poruguesa)
Os países da África Subsaariana estão a obter resultados muito positivos na luta contra a malária, e, entre os lusófonos, 40 por cento das crianças em São Tomé e na Guiné-Bissau utilizam redes mosquiteiras com insecticida, segundo a UNICEF ...
16.10.2007
Malaria experts cite progress at Seattle forum [Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA] — (English)
More than 300 scientists, physicians, public health leaders and top government officials from all corners of the planet have gathered in Seattle this week, by invitation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to discuss how best to combine forces and beat malaria...
World comes to Seattle to fight malaria [Seattle Times - United States] — (English)
If the malaria community had an Oscar week, this would be it. The luminaries who will begin meeting in Seattle today aren't likely to get red-carpet receptions, but they represent one of the most high-powered groups ever assembled to fight the killer disease...
WHO chief joins Gateses' call to eradicate malaria [SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER ] — (English)
The director-general of the World Health Organization declared Wednesday in Seattle that the Geneva-based agency, which coordinates international public health efforts, would seek to eradicate one of the planet's leading killers, malaria...
Gates Foundation Looks to Fight Malaria [THE LEDGER] — (English)
Bill and Melinda Gates appealed to more than 300 malaria scientists and policy makers at a forum Wednesday to take the risky step of seeking to eradicate the disease worldwide instead of just keeping it under control...
Mind Over Malaria [American.com United States ] — (English)
Several years ago, a Nobel Prize-winning economist named Dr. Kenneth Arrow, along with his colleagues at the U.S. Institute of Medicine, proposed to improve the treatment of malaria through a buyer subsidy for Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs). Arrow’s project has since crystallized into the Global ACT Subsidy. It is run by Dalberg Global Development Advisors in conjunction with the World Bank, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, and the Global ACT Subsidy Task Force...
Gates's urge scientists to wipe out malaria [People's Daily Online - Beijing,China] — (English)
Instead of just keeping it under control, Bill and Melinda Gates told more than 300 malaria scientists and policy makers at a forum Wednesday they should seek to wipe out the disease worldwide...
Stanford Researchers Seek Volunteers for Malaria Vaccine Study [Ad-Hoc-News (Pressemitteilung) - Germany] — (English)
Stanford Researchers Seek Volunteers for Malaria Vaccine StudySTANFORD, Calif.CA-SUMC...
Nothing But Nets Helps Deliver 200,000 Anti-Malaria Nets to Children in Republic of Congo [Emediawire (press release) - Ferndale,WA,USA] — (English)
Nothing But Nets, a global, grassroots campaign to prevent malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa, announced today it will fund the distribution and delivery of over 200,000 insecticide-treated bed nets to children under five and pregnant women in Congo-Brazzaville from October 15-19, 2007. Purchased with over $1 million in donations from individual donors, these nets will be distributed as part of an integrated health campaign organized and implemented by the Congo’s Ministry of Health and the Measles Initiative -- a partnership of the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF...
15.10.2007
Sanofi Pasteur and Institut Pasteur Team up Against Malaria [CNNMoney.com - USA] — (English)
Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, announced today a partnership with Institut Pasteur to develop a vaccine against malaria. Under this collaboration agreement, Sanofi Pasteur will have access to antigens identified by Institut Pasteur derived from Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the most deadly malaria infections. Sanofi Pasteur intends to use these antigens with the goal of developing a safe and efficacious candidate vaccine against malaria...
McCain Outlines Foreign Policy Issues [New York Times - United States] — (English)
McCain said that he would “establish the goal of eradicating malaria.” The mosquito-borne disease — long eliminated in much of the world — continues to devastate poorer nations, particularly in Africa. As Mr. McCain notes, malaria is the No. 1 killer of children under the age of five on that continent...
Doctor helps stop malaria by sale of nets [Lehigh University The Brown and White - Bethlehem,PA,USA] — (English)
In a lecture on Oct. 3 in Perella auditorium, Dr. Jessie Stone said the Nile River breeds the type of mosquito that causes malaria, which poses problems for the Ugandan people who live near the Nile. Stone started the nonprofit organization called Soft Power Health to combat malaria after she went on a kayak trip to Uganda...
BUY-A-NET Malaria Prevention Group Announces Canadian Partner [Market Wire (press release) - USA] — (English)
Canadian paediatricians join the fight against malaria...
Genetic population structure of Anopheles gambiae in Equatorial Guinea [Malaria Journal 2007, 6:137 (15 October 2007)] — (English)
The observed patterns of population structure seem to be governed by the presence of both physical (the ocean) and biological (the M-S form discontinuity) barriers to gene flow. The significant degree of genetic isolation between M and S forms detected by microsatellite loci located outside the "genomic islands" of speciation identified in A. gambiae s.s. further supports the hypothesis of on-going incipient speciation within this species. The implications of these findings regarding vector control strategies are discussed...
Coalition: Some progress in controlling malaria in sub-Saharan Africa [ KCBY.com - United States ] — (English)
A multinational coalition is seeing the first positive results from its efforts to control malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, but the total impact of insecticide-treated nets, new drugs and better training for health workers is still unknown, the authors of a new report said Tuesday...
China plans to build 10 anti-malaria centers in Africa this year [People's Daily Online - Beijing,China] — (English)
China has planned to build 10 centers for malaria prevention and treatment in Africa by the end of this year to help the continent to get rid of the disease...
14.10.2007
Malaria project short on funding [Washington Times - Washington,DC,USA] — (English)
Funding for the global fight against malaria is still substantially short of the target, despite the generous contributions made by the United States and other rich Western countries, the World Bank said in a new progress report...
AFM Commentary in The Lancet on "WHO Promotes DDT?" [AFM] — (English)
In order to advance their argument that WHO has consistently supported DDT in malaria control, Overgaard and Angstriech fabricate a straw man—the better to knock it down—of those advocates who promote and are pro-DDT. This is misleading and intellectually dishonest rhetoric. Africa Fighting Malaria (AFM), who Overgaard and Angstreich mention by name, is not pro-DDT; it is anti-malaria. The evidence shows that DDT when sprayed indoors is highly effective against malaria, which is a massive killer of children. DDT's efficacy has been borne out over many decades around the world. Accordingly, it would be irresponsible of AFM not to support DDT in malaria control...
Gambia: Journalists And Scientists to Launch Malaria Research Network [FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)] — (English)
"The African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), will soon be launched in The Gambia," said Pa Modou Faal, Country Coordinator of The Gambia Chapter...
Artemisinin-combination therapies (ACTs) used effectively in Home Management of Malaria [TDRnews No.78] — (English)
Lucy Vulley, a 45-year-old mother of five and nursery school teacher, had an unusual lesson to teach. Appearing before a recent meeting in Accra, Ghana, of top health officials from WHO, UNICEF and the Ghana government, she explained how she and other community volunteers have been able to dramatically reduce malaria illness by administering life saving drugs right in the community...
MIM/TDR Task Force holds consultation and meeting on malaria research capacity strengthening in Africa [TDRnews No.78] — (English)
Strategies for building capacity for malaria research, and dialogue between research and control officers, was the focus of a Multilateral Initiative for Malaria (MIM)/TDR informal consultation with experts held recently in Brazzaville. The consultation at the WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) dovetailed with the annual MIM/TDR Task Force meeting...
13.10.2007
World Bank reports malaria-related deaths dropping [ABC Online - Australia] — (English)
The head of the World Bank says two years into its booster program for Malaria control in Africa, malaria-related deaths in a number of countries are beginning to fall...
CDD and St. Jude partner on malaria drug development [Pharmaceutical Business Review - USA] — (English)
Collaborative Drug Discovery and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are to collaborate on a project aimed at speeding the development of new drugs to overcome resistant strains of malaria...
Articles requiring subscription
Safety of the RTS,S/AS02D candidate malaria vaccine in infants living in a highly endemic area of Mozambique: a double blind randomised controlled phase I/IIb trial [The Lancet, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 18 October 2007] — (English)
There were 17 children (15.9%; 95% CI 9.5–24.2) with serious adverse events in each group. In the follow-up which ended on March 6, 2007, there were 31 serious adverse events in the RTS,S/AS02D group and 30 serious adverse events in the Engerix-B group, none of which were reported as related to vaccination. There were four deaths during this same follow-up period; all of them after the active detection of infection period had finished at study month 6 (two in RTSS/AS02D group and two in the Engerix-B group). RTS,S/AS02D induced high titres of anti-circumsporozoite antibodies. 68 first or only P falciparum infections were documented: 22 in the RTS,S/AS02D group and 46 in the control group. The adjusted vaccine efficacy was 65.9% (95% CI 42.6–79.8%, p<0.0001)...
Protection antivectorielle de l'enfant : insecticides et insectifuges [Archives de Pédiatrie, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 18 October 2007] — (Français)
Les maladies à transmission vectorielle représentent une menace souvent grave pour la santé de l'enfant, particulièrement pour l'enfant voyageur qui se rend en milieu tropical. Peu de ces infections sont évitables par la vaccination ou par un traitement. Leur prévention repose presque toujours sur la protection individuelle contre les piqûres d'arthropodes. Son efficacité a été démontrée en zone d'endémie palustre avec l'usage de moustiquaires imprégnées d'insecticide pyréthrinoïde, le port de vêtements imprégnés de perméthrine ou l'application d'insectifuges à concentration efficace sur la peau découverte, qui ont réduit la morbidité et la mortalité liées au paludisme chez les enfants. Ces mesures antivectorielles sont également applicables à la prévention d'autres maladies transmises par les arthropodes, en particulier l'infection à Chikungunya, la dengue et la maladie de Lyme. Pour choisir un insectifuge parmi les nombreuses formulations disponibles sur le marché, il est nécessaire de disposer de preuves d'efficacité sur le terrain et de sécurité pour l'enfant. Cet article se propose de faire le point sur cette question et d'émettre des recommandations pragmatiques, particulièrement pour les enfants de moins de 30 mois qui constituent une population à risque toxicologique élevé. La gravité de certaines de ces maladies peut obliger à utiliser des insectifuges potentiellement toxiques si les règles d'usage ne sont pas respectées...
Perceptions of drug color among drug sellers and consumers in rural southwestern Nigeria [Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, Volume 3, Issue 3, September 2007, Pages 303-319] — (English)
Respondents clearly associated medicines with their effects and purpose, for example white drugs for pain relief, red for building blood, blue to aid sleep, and yellow for malaria treatment. Medicine vendors had a low opinion of white colored medicines, but community members were ultimately more concerned about efficacy. The perceived association between yellow and malaria, because of local symptom perceptions of eyes turning yellowish during malaria, yielded a favorable response when consumers were shown the yellow prepacks. The response to blue was noncommittal but consumers indicated that if they were properly educated on the efficacy and function of the new drugs they would likely buy them...
The response of students to malaria and malaria therapy in a university in Southwest Nigeria [Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, Volume 3, Issue 3, September 2007, Pages 303-319] — (English)
This study showed that there is no noticeable difference in the perception of malaria between male and female students; however, there is a significant difference between the frequency of attacks in the 2 groups, and this may have considerable influence on the ways male and female subjects treat the infection and their subsequent response to treatment...
Seizing the Big Missed Opportunity: Linking HIV and Maternity Care Services in Sub-Saharan Africa [Reproductive Health Matters, Volume 15, Issue 30, September 2007, Pages 190-201 ] — (English)
This paper draws on two reviews commissioned by the UK Department for International Development in 2006–2007 that explore progress in linking HIV prevention and maternity services in sub-Saharan Africa. Although pilot and demonstration projects have been successful, progress in scaling up PMTCT has been slow, reaching just 11% of pregnant HIV positive women in much of Africa, less than half the percentage of coverage achieved by antiretroviral treatment programmes for adults in need. Despite ongoing efforts to promote comprehensive approaches, significant policy, financing and institutional barriers, and weak co-ordination and leadership, continue to hamper progress. Maternal health services face human and financial resource shortages which affect their capacity to integrate HIV prevention. Both HIV and maternal health programmes often receive targeted financial and technical assistance that does not take the other into account. However, proposals in 2007 from a number of countries to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria incorporate sexual and reproductive health programming that will have an impact on HIV, including certain maternity services. Moreover, Botswana, Kenya and Rwanda have shown that progress can be made where national commitment and increased resources are enabling maternal and newborn care to address HIV...
Plasmodium falciparum: Effect of radiation on levels of gene transcripts in sporozoites [Exp Parasitol. 2007 Sep 6] — (English)
Humans immunized by the bites of irradiated Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) sporozoite-infected mosquitoes are protected against malaria. Radiation attenuates the sporozoites preventing them from fully developing and replicating in hepatocytes, but the effects of radiation on gene expression in sporozoites are unknown. We used RT-PCR (35 cycles of PCR followed by densitometry) to assess the expression of ten genes in Pf sporozoites, and in sporozoites irradiated with 15,000cGy. Irradiation reduced expression substantially (>60%) of two DNA repair genes; moderately (30-60%) of PfUIS3, the Pf orthologue of PbUIS3, a gene up-regulated in Plasmodium berghei sporozoites and of a third DNA repair gene; and minimally (<30%) of the Pf18S ribosomal RNA, PfCSP, PfSSP2/TRAP, and PfCELTOS genes. Irradiation increased expression of PfSPATR minimally. PfLSA1 RNA was not detectable in sporozoites. These results establish that radiation of sporozoites affects gene expression levels and provide the foundation for studies to identify specific genes involved in attenuation and protective immunity...
Antimalarial Drug Toxicity: A Review [Chemotherapy. 2007 Oct 12;53(6):385-391] — (English)
Antimalarial drug toxicity is viewed differently depending upon whether the clinical indication is for malaria treatment or prophylaxis. In the treatment of Plasmodium falciparum malaria, which has a high mortality if untreated, a greater risk of adverse reactions to antimalarial drugs is inevitable. As chloroquine resistance has become widespread, alternative agents may be used in treatment regimens, however, the toxicity of these antimalarial agents should be considered. Quinine is the mainstay for treating severe malaria due to its rare cardiovascular or CNS toxicity, but its hypoglycemic effect may be problematic. Mefloquine can cause dose-related serious neuropsychiatric toxicity and pyrimethamine-dapsone is associated with agranulocytosis, especially if the recommended dose is exceeded. Pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine and amodiaquine are associated with a relatively high incidence of potentially fatal reactions, and are no longer recommended for prophylaxis. Atovaquone/proguanil is an antimalarial combination with good efficacy and tolerability as prophylaxis and for treatment. The artemisinin derivatives have remarkable efficacy and an excellent safety record. Prescribing in pregnancy is a particular problem for clinicians because the risk-benefit ratio is often very unclear...
Plasmodium malariae: Parasite and Disease [Clin Microbiol Rev. 2007 Oct;20(4):579-92] — (English)
A review of the life history of Plasmodium malariae, the quartan malaria parasite of humans, is presented. Much of the information is based on data obtained from induced infections in humans who were given malaria therapy for the treatment of neurosyphilis between 1940 and 1963. Prepatent periods (i.e., the time until the first day of parasite detection) fever episodes, and maximum parasitemias as a result of infection with P. malariae were obtained and are presented. Experimental and known vectors of the parasite are also discussed. Splenectomized chimpanzees and New World monkeys are readily infected and serve as sources of parasites and antigens for diagnostic and molecular studies. South American monkeys are naturally infected with a parasite known as Plasmodium brasilianum. This parasite appears to be P. malariae that has adapted from humans to grow in monkeys, probably within the last 500 years. Infection with P. malariae is associated with the production of immune complexes in the kidneys and the associated nephrotic syndrome. The essential lesions are a thickening of the glomerular basement membrane and endocapillary cell proliferation. Studies of monkeys infected with P. malariae indicate the same pathology as that demonstrated in humans...
De la malaria a l'infarctus: Un voyage professionnel a travers le systeme medical canadien [Can Fam Physician. 2007 Oct;53(10):1752-3] — (Français)
Une toile qui représentait une paysanne a attiré mon regard. Quelque chose de cette femme me rappelait ma grand-mère. Peinte dans des couleurs simples, elle semblait partager la force de ma grand-mère – une force acquise en travaillant la terre sans pouvoir recourir à la technologie et en élevant seule plusieurs enfants...
In English
Anopheles gambiae miRNAs as actors of defence reaction against Plasmodium invasion [Nucleic Acids Res. 2007 Oct 12] — (English)
The path Plasmodium takes across the Anopheles midgut constitutes the major bottleneck during the malaria transmission cycle. In the present study, using a combination of shot-gun cloning and bioinformatic analysis, we have identified 18 miRNAs from Anopheles gambiae including three miRNAs unique to mosquito. Twelve of them are expressed ubiquitously across the body, independently of gender, while the other six exhibited an expression pattern restricted to the digestive system. Strikingly, the expression patterns of four miRNAs, including the three unique to mosquito, are affected by the presence of Plasmodium. We also show that knocking down Dicer1 and Ago1 mRNAs led to an increased sensitivity to Plasmodium infection. Altogether, these data support an involvement of miRNAs as new layers in the regulation of Anopheles defence reaction...
Neglect of Plasmodium vivax malaria [Trends Parasitol. 2007 Oct 12] — (English)
Plasmodium vivax infects 130-435 million of the 2.6 billion people living at risk of infection. Recent studies suggest that vivax malaria can become lethal in a similar way to severe falciparum malaria. First-line therapies remain unchanged after 50 years. Despite evidence of failing chloroquine efficacy, little work has assessed the problem or explored alternative therapies. Primaquine treatment, the only therapeutic option against relapse, might also be failing. No licensed primary chemoprophylactic agent protects travelers from relapse. Misdiagnosis of species now affects clinical decisions resulting in inadequate therapy for P. falciparum and P. vivax. All of these factors demonstrate the lack of research on P. vivax...
Expression of Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 STEVOR proteins for evaluation of antibody responses following malaria infections in naïve infants [Parasitology. 2007 Oct 12;:1-13] — (English)
Clinical immunity to Plasmodium falciparum malaria develops after repeated exposure to the parasite. At least 2 P. falciparum variant antigens encoded by multicopy gene families (var and rif) are targets of this adaptive antibody-mediated immunity. A third multigene family of variant antigens comprises the stevor genes. Here, 4 different stevor sequences were selected for cloning and expression in Escherichia coli and His6–tagged fusion proteins were used for assessing the development of immunity. In a cross-sectional analysis of clinically immune adults living in a malaria endemic area in Ghana, high levels of anti-STEVOR IgG antibody titres were determined in ELISA. A cross-sectional study of 90 nine-month-old Ghanaian infants using 1 recombinant STEVOR showed that the antibody responses correlated positively with the number of parasitaemia episodes. In a longitudinal investigation of 17 immunologically naïve 9-month-old infants, 3 different patterns of anti-STEVOR antibody responses could be distinguished (high, transient and low). Children with high anti-STEVOR-antibody levels exhibited an elevated risk for developing parasitaemia episodes. Overall, a protective effect could not be attributed to antibodies against the STEVOR proteins chosen for the study presented here...
The effect of weekly iron and vitamin A supplementation on hemoglobin levels and iron status in adolescent schoolgirls in western Kenya [Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Oct 10] — (English)
Iron deficiency anemia is a major public health problem in developing countries and may affect school performance and physical work capacity in nonpregnant adolescents, and may increase the risk of anemia during subsequent teenage pregnancies. We assessed the effect of weekly iron (120 mg elemental iron) and vitamin A (25 000 IU) supplementation on hemoglobin, iron status and malaria and nonmalaria morbidity in adolescent schoolgirls...
The crystal structure of D7R4, a salivary biogenic amine-binding protein from the malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae. [J Biol Chem. 2007 Oct 9] — (English)
The D7-related (D7r) proteins of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae have been shown to bind the biogenic amines serotonin, norepinephrine, and histamine with high affinity. One member of the group (D7r1 or hamadarin) has also been shown to have an anticoagulant/antikinin activity. In order to understand the mechanistic details of its antihemostatic/anti-inflammatory effects, we have determined the crystal structure of one member of this group, D7r4, along with the structures of ligand complexes with serotonin, tryptamine, histamine, and norepinephrine. The D7 fold consists of an arrangement of eight -helices stabilized by three disulfide bonds. The structure is similar to those of the arthropod odorant-binding proteins (OBP), a relationship that had been predicted based on sequence comparisons. While OBPs commonly have six -helices, D7r4 has eight, resulting in significantly different positioning and structure of the ligand binding pocket. The pocket itself is lined by hydrophobic side chains along with polar and charged groups oriented to form hydrogen bonds with the aliphatic amino group and with groups on the aromatic portions of the ligands. These structures, along with accompanying mutagenesis studies, have allowed us to identify critical residues for biogenic amine binding and to predict which members of the large D7 protein family found in blood-feeding nematocerous Diptera will function as biogenic amine-binding proteins...
Rapid, sensitive and cheap molecular diagnosis of malaria: is microscopy on the way out? [Future Microbiology, October 2007, Vol. 2, No. 5, Pages 477-480 ] — (English)
PCR amplification of Plasmodium DNA provides optimal diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy. However, reagent and equipment costs, the need for highly skilled technicians and the turnaround times of PCR assays preclude PCR from challenging the pre-eminence of microscopy as a primary method in malaria diagnostics. In this report, Han and colleagues describe an amplification protocol (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) applicable to the four Plasmodium species that infect humans, which equals PCR in sensitivity and specificity, but at a fraction of the cost and with turnaround times equal to those of microscopic examination of blood smears...
Effect of Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis infection on hepatic and splenic glutathione-S-transferase(s) in Swiss albino and db/+ mice: efficacy of mefloquine and menadione in antimalarial chemotherapy [Parasitology. 2007 Jul;134(Pt 7):931-8] — (English)
The present report deals with the status of hepatic and splenic glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities in mice during experimental infection with Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis and subsequent treatment of infected mice with mefloquine (Mf) and menadione (Md). The infection caused significant decline in the hepatic and splenic glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities of albino and db/+ mice. The decline was observed in the levels of both cytosolic and microsomal GST(s) of liver and spleen in both types of mice. Intraperitoneal administration of mefloquine at a dose of 5 mg/kg and menadione at a dose of 100 mg/kg, twice daily from day 1 p.i. (day 0) until day 10, caused restoration in the levels of hepatic as well as splenic GST(s), albeit to varying degrees. Mf was able to suppress parasitaemia by day 5 in the case of albino mice and by day 3 in the case of db/+ mice but was unable to cure both types of mice completely. On the other hand, Md caused a delay in maturation of infection in both cases, but could not cure the mice...
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