Artemisinin resistant malaria on the horizon

Abstract

In early May, 2009, the World Health Organization gave another health warning. This time, it has nothing to do with
the pandemic influenza; rather it is about the old enemy “Malaria”. The World Health Organization had announced
that malaria resistance to the front line drug Artemisinin had been noticed at Southeast Asia and specifically at the
Thai-Cambodian border. The Thai-Cambodian border has been associated in the past with malaria resistance to
Chloroquine and later to Fansidar. In order to contain this resistance, WHO has received $22.5 million grant from
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This will be devoted to finding ways to hold back the spread of resistance to
the key anti-malarial drug artemisinin.