The recent outbreak of malaria in Cambodia was followed by the rising number of cases in the northern area of Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. Making matters worse, the said recent outbreak was reported to be a new strain of drug-resistant malaria.
Malaria, an infectious disease caused by the parasites that mosquitoes carry, can affect either humans or animals. Headache, tiredness, fever, and vomiting are some of the symptoms exhibited by those infected with malaria. Other symptoms include pains felt on the chest and abdominal area, sweating, and coughing.
In recent studies, scientists have found out that some of the parasites were able to mutate, rendering the strain virtually drug-resistant. An increasing number of cases were noted in the studies.
Wellcome Sanger Institute's Roberto Amato stated that the fast spread rate of the strain had replaced local malaria parasites. In places such as Vietnam, northeastern Thailand, and Laos, the mutated parasites have become the dominant strain.
Still, early diagnosis for those infected by malaria could make a difference in successfully treating the infectious disease. However, for some parts of southeast Asia, treating malaria is proving to be a challenging feat as the resistance to drugs that fight off malaria has started to increase in rate.
According to experts, DHA-PPQ, a combination of dihydroartemisinin and piperaquine, is the first line of treatment for malaria for many Asian countries through the past ten years.
Between 2007 and 2013, the spread of the drug-resistant strain was documented in a previous study, with areas of Cambodia considered. Now, however, the strain was reported to have crossed the border.
The recent research has presented evidence that drug-resistant malaria has tightened its grip, as published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Olivia Miotto, a coauthor of the paper, has expressed her worries about the fast rate at which the strain is spreading. Miotto added that even if some medication would be effective for the time being, their study has emphasized the urgency of the matter and that immediate action is paramount.
According to previous reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are nearly 220 million cases of malaria in 2017 alone. Of this total number, about 400,000 led to death. WHO's report also revealed that the majority of malaria cases and those that led to death were mostly children and infants around the sub-Saharan areas of Africa.
In the 1980s, a similar resistance to and anti-malarial drug, chloroquine, has killed millions in Africa.
