A disturbing trend has emerged in Africa, where a lifesaving malaria treatment is losing effectiveness. Researchers discovered that 11 out of 100 children treated for severe malaria in Uganda showed partial resistance to artemisinin, a crucial component of the standard treatment. This marks the first documented instance of artemisinin resistance in African children with severe malaria.
What are the key findings?
Resistance Rate: 1 in 10 patients exhibited signs of resistance.
Recurring Infections: 10 children experienced repeated attacks within a month.
Genetic Mutations: All resistant patients had malaria parasites with genetic mutations linked to artemisinin resistance.
The study, presented at the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene conference, highlights the growing concern of antimicrobial resistance, projected to claim over 39 million lives by 2050. Children under the age of five are disproportionately affected, with 4,50,000 annual deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.
Artemisinin resistance initially emerged in Southeast Asia, leading to increased treatment failure rates. Experts fear a similar scenario unfolding in Africa.
According to Dr Chandy John of Indiana University, who co-wrote the study, “This is the first study from Africa showing that children with malaria and clear signs of severe disease are experiencing at least partial resistance of artemisinin.”
Enhanced surveillance including monitoring of resistance patterns, exploring new medications and ensuring quality diagnosis and treatment are some of the ways suggested by experts to combat resistance.
The World Health Organization (WHO) stresses the urgency of addressing antimicrobial resistance, citing alarming resistance rates among bacterial pathogens.
