A recent study has revealed alarming signs of resistance to artemisinin, a frontline malaria treatment, in young children in Uganda. Presented at the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene’s annual meeting, the study found that 11 out of 100 children treated for severe malaria showed partial resistance to artemisinin. Another 10 of the children, who the researchers believed to have been cured of the disease, experienced recurrent infections within a month despite receiving the standard combination therapy with lumefantrine. This development mirrors earlier resistance patterns in Southeast Asia, raising concerns that artemisinin’s effectiveness could be declining in Africa, where malaria is a leading cause of death among children under five. Experts warn that the high transmission rates in Africa could accelerate the spread of resistance, jeopardizing the continent’s malaria control efforts. The study underscores the urgent need for new treatment strategies to combat this growing threat.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
