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January 2011

WHO and partners launch new global plan to protect malaria treatment against resistance

January 13, 2011 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new five step Global Plan for Artemisinin Resistance Containment which will seek to control the spread of artemisinin-resistant malaria. The WHO seeks to accomplish this global plan by increasing the monitoring of artemisinin resistance, improving the availability of diagnostics, and by investing in valuable artemisinin-resistant malaria research. Artemisinin-resistant malaria has emerged along the Thailand-Cambodia border and medical officials from the WHO are concerned about these resistant strains spreading further. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, at the launch of this plan on January 12, 2011, said, “The new plan takes advantage of an unprecedented opportunity in the history of malaria control: to stop the emergence of drug resistance at its source and prevent further international spread. The consequences of widespread artemisinin resistance compel us to seize this opportunity.”

The WHO estimates that the number of malaria cases has declined steadily since the introduction of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT)and fears that a surge of artemisinin-resistant malaria, control and treatment efforts would be significantly impacted and malaria-related deaths would increase. “Effective containment of artemisinin resistance will significantly improve our capability to sustain current control achievements at country level,”'' said Awa Coll-Seck, Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, which has partnered with the WHO to carry out this global plan. The global plan is estimated to cost $175 million and donors including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the US President’s Malaria Initiative, and the UK Department of International Development have shown interest in providing support. See the links below for more information.

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