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Don't let the US PMI fall into the Immunity Trap

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A decade ago, I helped the US Presidential Malaria Initiative get its start in Angola. Since then the Malaria Initiative (the US PMI) has expanded under Tim Ziemer to 19 African countries, protecting 30 million people. Consequently, over the last decade these 30 million people have lost their immunity to malaria. Now that might seem obvious and maybe a good thing. But since they live in regions where malaria is endemic, it raises a serious issue about durability of the PMI strategy.

The Resistance Treadmill

Guest editorial: “End Malaria for Good”- a few key messages based on the Cambodian experience

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malaria elimination

The editorial below was contributed by Sara E Canavati and Jack S Richards. Contact details below.

World Malaria Day (WMD) is an international observance established in 2007 and commemorated every year on 25 April to recognize global efforts to control malaria. The theme for 2016 was “End Malaria For Good”, which focused on malaria elimination. Following the great progress made under the Millennium Development Goals, it is important to continue building on this success as we transition into the Sustainable Development Goals [1] and the recently launched Global Technical Strategy for Malaria (GTS) [2]. The aim of the piece is to briefly reflect on WMD 2016 and consider a few key operational issues on malaria elimination that may lie ahead for the coming year.

WHO report on progress against malaria - and vested interests

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malaria

WHO recently released a report on the fight against malaria, by Cibulskis et al *. It seems very positive, in fact they claim that the progress is "remarkable". but I find two ironic aspects which are troubling.

Message from the newly elected Chair of the RBM Partnership Board

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RBM; malaria

Dear Partners and Friends,

After a period of extensive consultation, the RBM Board agreed at its 29th Meeting in December 2015 on a new governance architecture. This included the establishment of a reconstituted Partnership Board, which could take advantage of the tremendous skill, energy and effectiveness of its partners and lead the organization into a new era.

Good News about Malaria

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african malaria

Would you like to hear some Good News? Here are some nuggets, stimulated partly by recent comments from my colleagues Robert Bos, Tony Kiszewski and Pierre Bush.

Classic Problems we used to face

Why are Artemisia infusions prophylactic (part 2): the role of CD4 and CD8 T cells.

ARTEMISIA PLANTS INCREASE THE CD4 AND CD8 CELL COUNT

Will malaria suppression cause malnutrition?

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malaria, food

The great benefit in saving so many children by suppressing malaria, might have a negative consequence - malnutrition. As more and more children survive, who will feed them? This reflects the classic dilemna enunciated by the Rev. Malthus some centuries ago. He saw it as a race between population growth and growth in food supply - with the food supply losing. Do we face that same dilemma when we suppress malaria? Let us look at some recent data from Africa.

Malaria suppression improves economic productivity

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malaria, agriculture, economics

In a recent Comment - Does malaria cause poverty or vice-versa? Patrick Sampao explored the relation between malaria and poverty. In accord with his opinions, and in agreement with our dear friend Anton Alexander, I posted three comments, based on statistical analyses of the impact of the US Presidential Malaria Initiative. The comments show us some really Good News about suppressing malaria, especially in Africa where the data is robust. Please take a look at the comments. It is kind of heavy reading but I assure you, it is worthwhile.

New report from WHO on malaria elimination

This report, presented on World Malaria Day 2016, focuses on the third goal from the Global Technical Strategy for malaria: 2016-2030: malaria elimination. It offers a brief analysis of recent country-level progress towards elimination and spotlights countries that are poised to reach the finish line in the next five years.

A number of countries have had remarkable success in controlling malaria, and these achievements are hard-won. But in many respects, the hardest work is yet to come. This WHO report highlights the considerable challenges countries will face in their e orts to drive down malaria cases to zero and to prevent resurgences of this deadly disease.

Keystone Symposia malaria meeting offers subsidies for African students and researchers

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MESA; malaria; symposia

Building on the success of MESA’s first collaboration with Keystone Symposia two years ago, MESA and Keystone are on

Why are Artemisia plants prophylactic? The herbicidal hypothesis.

Ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα

Σωκράτης

Our association IFBV-BELHERB has received numerous anecdotic reports on the prophylactic effects of Artemisia plants. This effect has been documented in scientific papers. Patrick Ogwang from Uganda (Ogwang PE, et al. Trop J Pharm Res. 2012;11:445–53) showed that an infusion of Artemisia annua consumed once weekly reduced the risk of Plasmodium falciparum episodes due to a yet unidentified constituent.

A case of treatment failure and malarone poisoning

Reported by Dr Patrice Bouygues, Paris.

A young French traveller was infected by Plasmodium falciparum during a two week stay in Tchad in 2013. He had been treated prophylactilly and therapeutically with Malarone. After his return home he continued suffering from headaches, high fever surges, rachialgies, cardiac troubles... Several medical services were consulted. Despite the absence of noticeable parasites in blood smears, doctors prescribed a more or less continuous malarone and tardyferon treatment.

Malaria Consortium announces passing of Dr Sylvia Meek, Technical Director

Dr Sylvia Meek meets with community drug distributors supported by our integrated community case management and nutrition project

Malaria Consortium Announcement: The tragic loss of Dr Sylvia Meek

Pentacyclic triterpenes in antimalarial plants, a new paradigm

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pentacyclic tripternes, ursolic. oleanolic, Leishmania, mediterranean diet

Many plants have antiplasmodial properties but nobody really knows why some do and others do not. We have paid most of our attention to artemisinin and derivatives, to flavonoids and antioxidants, swamped and blinded by thousands of papers on these molecules, billions invested and earned in ACTs, the prohibition of clinical trials with Artemisia annua by WHO-Geneva, the Vatican of malaria, and the colonial ITG-Antwerp. And we have forgotten that there are other molecules in Artemisia which may play an equivalent or stronger role.

THE BREAKING NEWS PAPER OF MAVONDO

New from MESA: 5 experts pick a recent eye-opening paper on malaria

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mesa; malaria

“As a scientific worker we need innovation spirit to find new things” commented Tu Youyou in a telephone interview following the announcement of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.[1] The Chinese scientist was awarded the Prize for her discovery of artemisinin in the 1970s, now a life-saving antimalarial drug. Leading a small team of researchers, she was the first to isolate the active ingredient from the Artemisia plant, using ether to extract it.

ACT Consortium: Free resources to develop malaria diagnosis and treatment interventions

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ACT Consortium; malaria

ACT Consortium launches free resources for malaria community

On World Malaria Day, ACT Consortium researchers launched five resources to help guide those working in malaria endemic countries.

Video Message by WHO Director-General Margaret Chan for Bern - Capital of World Malaria Day

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan thanks Switzerland for their engagement in the fight against malaria via video message on World Malaria Day 2016 in Bern, Switzerland.

25 April 2016 - WHO Report Eliminating Malaria

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World Health Organization; report

In May 2015, the World Health Assembly endorsed a new Global Technical Strategy for Malaria. The strategy includes ambitious goals for malaria control and elimination in the next 15-year period. A key target: eliminating malaria in at least 10 countries by 2020. According to a new analysis from WHO, this goal can be achieved – and surpassed.

WHO News release: On World Malaria Day, a push to eliminate malaria

25 April 2016, GENEVA - A year after the World Health Assembly resolved to eliminate malaria from at least 35 countries by 2030, WHO is releasing a World Malaria Day report that shows this goal, although ambitious, is achievable.

Video: What will it take to end malaria? Bill Gates and George Osborne discuss

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Bill Gates; malaria

This video was released on World Malaria day 2016. In January 2016, Bill Gates and UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne launched a new fund that will mobilize some of Britain’s best scientists to fight malaria. They met in Liverpool to talk about what it will take to end malaria for good.

Pulmonary administration of Artemisia afra against tuberculosis

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tuberculosis inhalation artemisia afra tira-capeta

Many constituents of medicinal herbs have a low bioavailabity, especially if administered orally. They do not pass the intestinal barrier. This is particularly the case for essential oils. A study (Ryuichi Fujisaki et al., www.tm.mahidol.ac.th/seameo/2012) of the in vitro and in vivo antiplasmodial activity of 47 essential oils showed that several have strong in vitro antiplasmodial activities, with IC50 values < 1.0 µg/ml. But notably these oils showed no efficacy when administered orally.

Partnership between Tropicare and Dutch Malaria Foundation announced

ALMERE, 22 March 2016. Today, two Dutch organisations that share a passion for making malaria history joined forces through the creation of a unique partnership. Tropicare, which runs the Care Plus® brand, encourages travellers, tourists, and day trippers to travel as healthy as possible. It has an extensive offering of products that are specifically designed for travellers to protect themselves against mosquito bites and malaria, such as repellents, bednets, and impregnated clothing.

Press release: From over 90 000 cases to zero in two decades: the European Region is malaria free

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World Health Organization; malaria; Europe

Copenhagen, 20 April 2016 - World Health Organization

malERA Refresh update

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mesa; malaria

On April 11, the chairs, co-chairs and rapporteurs from the six panels of ‘malERA Refresh’ met in Barcelona to share the main challenges and exciting research opportunities identified in their different thematic panels.

Malaria, folates and PABA

Folates combine three molecules : pretidine & para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) & glutamate. They were discovered around 1940 and first isolated from spinach leaves. The term folate is derived from the latin word folium.

The malaria parasite has a unique feature of being able to salvage exogenous folate derivatives and/or synthesize them de novo. Due to its high rate of replication, the parasite has a high demand for folates. Folate metabolism is the target of several antimalarials.

Artemisia afra will save Africa

A very recent paper of a South African research team shows that among 8 medicinal plants Artemisia afra has the lowest IC50 for impairing the development of late stage gametocytes (P Moyo et al., J of Ethnopharmacology, acceopted 15 March). A very important finding as not many plants have such a significant gametocytocidal effect.

Potassium,sodium, phospholipids and hemozoin

Upon infection of human erythrocytes, the phospholipid content of Plasmodium falciparum increases by at least 5 to 6-fold. The main molecules are phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylcholine (PC) and others. They are often called lecithin although this substance contains many other molecules

Blog: Revolutionary new malaria test could save lives by being faster, more accurate and easier to use

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malaria; diagnostics

This is an expert blog by Prof Daouda Ndiaye

A new method of testing for malaria that will put less strain on lab technicians and provide more accurate results at the same time could be a watershed moment in the battle against a disease that is one of the top three killers of children worldwide.

When will permanent methods be added by PMI?

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african malaria

In a recent analysis of the US Presidential Malaria Initiative (PMI) by Richard Oxborough, it was pointed out that indoor spraying is being reduced and even abandoned as a control measure because of resistance to the cheaper insecticides. In Angola, they have completely abandoned indoor spraying as a method. The newer insecticides are too expensive.

It is alarming that now the only effective control method available is drugs. What will happen when drug resistance spreads? Is PMI prepared for this?