subject: Current Drug Development For Malaria [print this page] In the UK malaria isnt really a disease that people need to worry about, as it is most commonly found in tropical climates such as Africa, Asia and South America. However, in these places malaria is a genuine cause for concern, with a report released by the World Health Organization in 2010 stating that as many as 225 million people all over the world are diagnosed with the disease every year.
This number is astronomically high and, unfortunately, malaria can only be cured if it is caught early enough. New drug development is working towards a cure though, and breakthroughs are constantly being made. The scientists that work on this research are based all over the world as well, and each research project is in various stages of completion.
Malaria is passed onto humans through mosquito bites and the chances of infection can be somewhat reduced by using mosquito netting and by applying insect repellent. Though these measures seem small they can actually help in malaria prevention. Of course, an even better way to prevent the disease is to administer specific antimalarial medication, which can work to stop infection from happening and cure the disease if it is treated quickly enough. If you are travelling to malaria hotspots it is vital that you get these injections before you set off.
Malaria is still an issue for those living in these parts of the world though. Current medicinal chemistry research has been conducted and it has revealed a new treatment, and possible prevention, for malaria in infants which can help to lower the numbers of those affected year on year.
This research is still in the assessment stages but a recent clinical trial in children less than 18 months of age has shown extremely promising results. The trial was performed on 15,000 children in seven different African countries, with one group being aged between six and twelve weeks old and the other between five and seventeen weeks.
The results showed that the vaccine was effective in the older children, with half of them not being infected with malaria after one year when compared to a control group of children who had not been administered the vaccine.
This important drug discovery has brought researchers closer to uncovering a new and more effective malaria cure that can be used in infants and hopes are high for it. There are a number of other studies in progress right now as well, so to find out more go online.
