Malaria
Ron Smith, MD
Malaria in the News
This Wright-stained blood smear photomicrograph depicted three, Plasmodium malariae trophozoites, one of which had assumed a band form morphology (arrow). In this case, the patient acquired this parasitic disease by having received contaminated blood during a transfusion.
2 November 2022. New Antibody Treatment Effective Against Malaria
Research in Africa found a one-time dose of an experimental drug protected adults against malaria for at least six months, the latest approach in the fight against the mosquito-borne disease.
Malaria killed more than 620,000 people in 2020 and sickened 241 million, mainly children under 5 in Africa. The World Health Organization is rolling out the first authorized malaria vaccine for children, but it is about 30% effective and requires four doses.
The new study tested a very different approach — giving people a big dose of lab-made malaria-fighting antibodies instead of depending on the immune system to make enough of those same infection-blockers after vaccination.
1 November 2022. Malaria Is on the Rise in Africa – Scientists Blame Invasive, Foreign Mosquito More Dangerous Than Native Ones
Scientists say an invasive mosquito species was likely responsible for a large malaria outbreak in Ethiopia earlier this year, a finding that experts called a worrying sign that progress against the disease is at risk of unraveling.
The mosquito species, known as Anopheles stephensi, has mostly been seen in India and the Persian Gulf. In 2012, it was discovered in Djibouti and it has since been found in Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Nigeria. The mosquitoes are suspected to be behind a recent rise in malaria in Djibouti, prompting the World Health Organization to try to stop the insects from spreading further in Africa.