Combination medicines that are based on artemisinin, generally referred to as ACTs, have emerged as the most essential component in the treatment and management of malaria. On the other hand, the recent appearance and growth of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites in eastern Africa has made these very important drugs less effective.
In the context of a policy forum, Mehul Dhorda and his colleagues have suggested that immediate action is necessary to prevent an increase in the number of malaria-related deaths and illnesses in the area. “Success in containing ART-R in the Greater Mekong Subregion in Asia, where ART-R was first reported in 2008, suggests that a multipronged approach is needed in East Africa to reduce and interrupt malaria transmission permanently,” according to the findings of researchers Dhorda and colleagues.Given that the World Health Organization (WHO) first approved antimalarial medications (ACTs) as a first-line treatment for malaria in 2006, the administration of these medications has significantly decreased the global burden of malaria for people. On the other hand, resistance to artemisinin rapidly spread throughout Southeast Asia, which in turn posed a significant risk to the public health of the region. For the purpose of addressing this issue, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM) offered financial assistance to the Regional Artemisinin Resistance Initiative (RAI). The key objectives of this campaign were to improve surveillance, make fast diagnosis easier, and distribute large amounts of medications in regions where malaria is widespread. This initiative operated in close conjunction with national initiatives that were designed to reduce malaria.
The malaria rate in the region has dramatically fallen as a result of these concentrated efforts, despite the fact that antiretroviral therapy (ART-R) has been utilized extensively throughout the region. A recent increase in the use of ART-R has been observed across the entirety of East Africa. Dhorda and colleagues claim in this paper that in order to prevent a public health emergency in this region, it is vital to make investments in programs that are comparable to those that are deployed in Southeast Asia to combat ART-R. This is because the region is now experiencing a public health emergency. ART-R, which stands for triple antiretroviral therapy, is a treatment that has been demonstrated to be successful in several Asian countries. When it comes to combating ART-R in Africa, the authors recommend using triple ACTs, also known as TACTs. The combination of an artemisinin derivative and two companion pharmaceuticals is what these therapies are using. There is a possibility that the transmission of the disease could be reduced by the use of vector control techniques and vaccinations against malaria. These procedures include insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor residual spraying. Increasing the number of community health worker networks, ensuring that diagnostic tests are performed promptly, and implementing antimalarial treatments are all crucial initiatives. To tackle this growing threat in Africa, it is essential to do routine monitoring of drug resistance, and new strategies that make use of newer malaria vaccines that have just been licensed should be implemented. Both of these measures are necessary in order to combat the expanding threat. “Funders, specifically the GFATM and the US government’s President’s Malaria Initiative, stepped up funding for malaria control and elimination programs to contain the spread of ART-R in Asia,” according to the researchers who conducted the study. “A similarly visionary approach is now needed to protect the populations at risk in Africa.”