Thanks Ylva for the info. It never rains but it pours... As if Africa does not have enough on its plate already. Now, while experts are trying to apprehend the new and destructive  nature of the malaria parasite, and to figure the out ways and means of containing  its fatal impact, is there anything that ordinary Africans can do to protect themselves at this point ?.

You would think that such alarming revelations would wake up the likes of  President Jammeh to set their priorities right.

mariama

>From: Ylva Hernlund <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: [WASAN] FW: MALARIA: Fatal Human Strain Appears To Have Reached Africa (fwd) >Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2001 22:23:15 -0700 > >---------- Forwarded message ---------- >Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2001 15:16:47 -0700 >From: Charlotte Utting <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: [log in to unmask] >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: [WASAN] FW: MALARIA: Fatal Human Strain Appears To Have Reached > Africa > > >---------- >From: Rana Jawad Asghar <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: [log in to unmask] >Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2001 09:33:30 -0700 (PDT) >To: "International Health" <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: MALARIA: Fatal Human Strain Appears To Have Reached Africa > >MALARIA: Fatal Human Strain Appears To Have Reached Africa > >A US geneticist appears to have uncovered evidence that a deadly mutant >strain >of malaria, caused by the plasmodium falciparum parasite, has reached Africa >after first emerging in parts of Asia and South America years ago, the Wall >Street Journal reports. > >University of Washington geneticist Carol Sibley made her discovery six >months >ago, while studying nine blood samples from malaria-infected children in >Tanzania. The Journal reports that her findings are not yet well-known, >even >among malaria specialists, and there is a lengthy verification process in >the >scientific community before her findings can be confirmed. > >"Scientifically, this is very exciting, but I'm also depressed," she said. > >Malaria can be caused by four different parasites, but falciparum is the >biggest killer and has a long history of resistance to drug treatment. It >has >undergone four mutations since its discovery, but the Journal reports that >the >latest mutation is the most alarming, because it shields the parasite from >SP, >one of the most affordable and widely used medicines in Africa. Already, >90% >of the 1 million deaths from malaria worldwide that occur each year are in >Africa, but if SP becomes ineffective, scientists are concerned malaria >deaths >could rise. > >Nick White, a malaria expert funded by British health care charity Wellcome >Trust, said scientists have been "terrified this is going to show up in >Africa." > >The Journal reports that scientists are pursuing a new initiative to help >combat the new mutation. In several large-scale African trials, the results >of >which have not yet been published, drugs made with the ancient Chinese herb >qinghaosu cured more than 90% of malaria cases in certain countries, >according >to the World Health Organization, which spearheaded the effort. The herb is >proving effective against falciparum among those infected, but it is also >useful in preventing its spread, because mosquitoes that bite malaria >patients >treated with the herb don't pick up the parasite. > >The Journal reports that scientists are now working to combine qinghaosu >with >existing drugs to forge a powerful new weapon against the new mutation. The >new therapies are "the most exciting and positive development we've had in >treating malaria for quite a while," said Steven Meshnick, a University of >Michigan expert on anti-malarial drugs (Gautam Naik, Wall Street Journal, 26 >Jul). > >Meanwhile, because malaria trends have worsened in recent years in tropical >areas of the developing world, and because the parasite continues to mutate >and >develop resistance to drug and to DDT alternatives, the Journal reports that >the "pendulum appears to be swinging back toward DDT." > >Developed countries used DDT to win out against malaria and to combat other >pests decades ago, but by the 1970s, Western countries were banning the >chemical after seeing the harm it did to the environment. Today, countries >such as South Africa and two dozen other countries still use it because it >is >effective and cheap to use in the fight against malaria. The Journal >reports >it is seen as the lesser of two evils for many developing countries. > >"It's against our conscience to use DDT. But so is watching people die from >malaria," said Rejoice Mabudafhasi, South Africa's deputy minister of >environmental affairs and tourism. "It's a horrible choice we have to make >in >our country." South Africa is now also pressuring Mozambique to resort to >DDT >again to combat its malaria problem (Roger Thurow, Wall Street Journal, 26 >Jul). > > >Conference In Zimbabwe Launches Regional Action Plan > >A World Health Organization conference on malaria in Victoria Falls, >Zimbabwe, >was scheduled to go on as planned yesterday with the launch of the Southern >African Development Community Malaria Action Plan in spite of a fire that >destroyed most of the conference's venue Tuesday. South African Health >Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and health ministers from Zimbabwe and >Swaziland were still expected to attend the launch. > >"We have very thorough contingency plans worked out to deal with this, and >guests have already been relocated to nearby hotels. We are reassessing the >situation and reorganizing plans," said WHO spokesperson Phillip Nyahoda >(SABCnews.com, 25 Jul). > >The conference was held to make plans for malaria control over the next five >years and to mobilize national, SADC and international resources to combat >the >disease, a WHO statement released Tuesday said. Malaria kills 300,000 >people >and infects 23 million more in southern Africa annually, but the WHO said >that >despite these challenges, the target of reducing malaria deaths in the >region >by 150,000 a year by 2010 can be achieved (Xinhua News Agency, 24 Jul). > > > >===== >Rana Jawad Asghar, MD, MPH >Research Associate >Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine >Stanford University, > >http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Cafe/9653 > >__________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger >http://phonecard.yahoo.com/ > > >------------------------ Yahoo! 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