Malaria in Cambodia is becoming increasingly resistant to one of strongest anti-malarial treatment available, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. That could cause literally millions of deaths as malaria, already the world's third-deadliest infectious disease, becomes unresponsive to remedies that once proved effective against the disease. The drugs examined were derived from artemisinin, the basis of the most effective treatment for the bloodborne parasite that causes malaria. To study the treatment's effectiveness, researchers
compared the effects of artemisinin drugs in 40 malaria patients in western Cambodia and 40 patients in northwestern Thailand. On average, the patients in Thailand were clear of malaria parasites within 48 hours, compared to 84 hours for the Cambodian patients [HealthDay News].
That means the remedies were significantly less effective against the mosquito-transmitted parasite in Cambodia. Furthermore, in the time since the study concluded, healthcare workers have observed lengthened clearance ...
