Why Should We Research Malaria?
Stemming from Plasmodium parasites that are spread to humans through the bites of female mosquitoes, also known as ‘malaria vectors’, 3.2 billion people are at risk of contracting malaria worldwide. (1) Due to its ability to thrive and flourish in both tropical and subtropical areas of the world, most cases of malaria are found in places throughout sub-Saharan Africa. However, data recorded throughout 2016 conveys that 91 countries and areas, within that year alone, were affected by the deadly disease. (2) In addition, the quick progression of malaria has advanced the need for access to antimalarial drugs worldwide. The main way to prevent or reduce the spread of the five species of malaria, P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae, and P. knowlesi, is through vector control. Current forms of prevention include indoor residual spraying (IRS), insecticide-treated bed nets (ITN’s), and the use of antimalarial drugs prior to entering a high-risk area to help combat the disease from spreading. Unfortunately, the main problem people are facing is resistance to these methods, which leads to a continuation of the diffusion of this deadly disease and increasing difficulty in eradicating it as well. The Global Health Impact (GHI) Project is bringing much-needed attention to these impoverished areas that require medicinal help by looking at diseases, like malaria, from all possible vantage points. By looking at the differing levels of efficacy that each drug has on individual countries, we can get a clearer image of which companies are making the most change.
Most of the focus for innovation is centered around learning more about and understanding how IRS and ITN’s interact with one another. When evaluated individually, they have similar efficacy levels and work well to prevent the disease. However, there are many unknowns on whether or not they work more efficiently when used together, or if in fact they are creating an even bigger problem when combined. The importance of researching this is to find out if putting them together will save more lives, or be detrimental to global health.
Additional research is being done to find a way to impede the resistance of the antimalarial drugs that currently exist. Artemisinin-based combination therapies, or ACT’s, are being created that combine two of the pre-existing antimalarial drugs with differences in half-lives and modes of action. These ACT’s are intended to help minimize the increase in resistance and advance the efficacy.
The Global Health Impact Project is working to find which drugs are the most effective and which locations are either struggling with drug efficacy or thriving. Furthermore, the GHI Project ranks companies on their global health impact by estimating the amount of death and disability that the drugs have alleviated worldwide.
References
1. “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / Malaria: Fast Facts.” https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/facts.html. Accessed 26 Jan 2018.
2. “WHO / Malaria.” http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs094/en/. Accessed 26 Jan 2018.
3. “The Global Health Impact: About the Index.” http://www.global-health-impact.org/aboutindex.php. Accessed 26 Jan 2018.
4. “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / Malaria: Current Research.” https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/tools_for_tomorrow/research_areas.html. Accessed 27 Jan 2018.
5. “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / Malaria: Where Malaria Occurs.” https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/distribution.html. Accessed 26 Jan 2018.
