The burden of malaria is heavily concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where cases and deaths associated with COVID-19 are rising1. In response, countries are implementing societal measures aimed at curtailing transmission of SARS-CoV-22,3. Despite these measures, the COVID-19 epidemic could still result in millions of deaths as local health facilities become overwhelmed4.
COVID-19 is affecting different countries all over the world with great variation in infection rate and death ratio. Some reports suggested a relation between the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine and the malaria treatment to the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Some reports related infant's lower susceptibility to the COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in millions of infections, hundreds of thousands of deaths and major societal disruption due to lockdowns and other restrictions introduced to limit disease spread. Relatively little attention has been paid to understanding how the pandemic has affected treatment, prevention and control of malaria, which is a major cause of death and disease and predominantly affects people in less well-resourced settings.
The world is currently facing a novel COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 that, as of July 12, 2020, has caused a reported 12,322,395 cases and 556,335 deaths. To date, only two treatments, remdesivir and dexamethasone, have demonstrated clinical efficacy through randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in seriously ill patients. The search for new or repurposed drugs for treatment of COVID-19 continues.
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In recent months, the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has emerged as a worldwide threat with about 4.2 million confirmed cases and almost 300 000 deaths. Its major clinical presentation is characterized by respiratory symptoms ranging from mild cough to serve pneumonia with fever and potentially even death. Until today, there is no known medication to improve clinical symptoms or even prevent or fight the infection.
The coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has turned in to a global catastrophe and there is an intense search for effective drug therapy. Of all the potential therapies, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have been the focus of tremendous public attention. Both drugs have been used in the treatment and prophylaxis of malaria and long-term use of hydroxychloroquine is the cornerstone in the treatment of several auto-immune disorders.
Malaria is a threat to human mankind and kills about half a million people every year. On the other hand, COVID‐19 resulted in several hundred thousand deaths since December 2019 and remains without an efficient and safe treatment. The antimalarials chloroquine (CQ) and its analogue, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), have been tested for COVID‐19 treatment, and several conflicting evidence has been obtained.
In The Lancet Global Health, Alexandra Hogan and colleagues1 report the findings of a modelling study in which they estimate the number of excess deaths from HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria that could plausibly occur as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), originally were prescribed for prevention or treatment of malaria, but now successfully are used in several rheumatologic diseases. In addition, in recent decades considering their immunomodulatory effects, high tolerably and low cost, they are evaluated for various viral infections from HIV to COVID-19.
