“The artemisinin-based treatments are taking longer to clear infections. But they are still working — for now.”
“Signs of drug resistance have long been present in Africa: for instance, in Rwanda between 2012 and 2015, scientists detected1 the existence of gene mutations associated with resistance in malaria parasites. A new study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine today2, bolsters these findings by showing that such mutations are causing an observable drop in antimalarials’ ability to quickly treat people with the disease.”
“Rosenthal says the findings are a “major wake-up call”: if resistance continues to spread, as it is expected to, and the parasites become resistant to lumefantrine, the result could be disastrous. “In Africa, where huge numbers of young children are treated in rural clinics with very little infrastructure, losing your main drug could be really devastating,” he says.”