Malaria could spur war on all diseases
THE search for new medicines to beat drug-resistant malaria could spur developments in the fight against other diseases.
"Malaria could be the tide that lifts all the boats," said Dr Alan Magill, director of the malaria program for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
He told an international malaria conference in Sydney on Thursday that the goal was not only to find new drugs to treat malaria, but to find "quality medicines for all patients with all diseases".
Yes I can see the point Magill is making but a drug-resistant malaria is a real worry I would have of thought priorities need to be thought about.
Yes I can see the point Magill is making but a drug-resistant malaria is a real worry I would have of thought priorities need to be thought about.
Dr Magill said substandard, poor quality and counterfeit drugs had encouraged malaria drug resistance, which has been detected in the Greater Mekong region of Cambodia, Thailand, Burma and Vietnam.
Experts have warned of a potential 25 per cent spike in deaths, particularly if that strain reaches Africa. That equates to some 200,000 more lives lost each year.
It isfunny heartbreaking how it always seems to be Africa that has to pay the price. "...substandard, poor quality and counterfeit drugs...." Bet someone made some money on that.
Latest World Health Organisation (WHO) figures for 2010 show 216 million cases of malaria resulting in 655,000 deaths, although unofficial estimates put that figure at up to 900,000, the vast bulk of them in Africa.It is
In the Asia-Pacific 30 million people contract the disease each year, resulting in 42,000 deaths.
Dr Magill said the Asia-Pacific had a global responsibility to address the drug resistance in a "very aggressive fashion".
Agreed. But we should also be going after the people who are making lousy pills. Making money out of themisery deaths of others.
As a manufacturer of much of the world's anti-malaria tools, the region also had a responsibility to produce high quality products, such as bed nets treated with insecticide.
Agreed. But we should also be going after the people who are making lousy pills. Making money out of the
As a manufacturer of much of the world's anti-malaria tools, the region also had a responsibility to produce high quality products, such as bed nets treated with insecticide.
The conference has heard that while the world seeks the next generation of drugs, more must be done to contain or slow down the spread of drug-resistant malaria.
Experts have told the meeting it could be five years before a new drug is produced.
The cost of finding and developing new drugs has been estimated at $1 billion over 10 years.
Wow a whole 1 billion over 10 years it is bloody laugable, lets try
a fun figure. It is 16 trillion dollars. The US debt as of today.
The National Debt has continued to increase an average of
$3.90 billion per day since September 28, 2007!
Just wanted to put $1 billion dollars over 10 years into perspective. Wow a whole 1 billion over 10 years it is bloody laugable, lets try
a fun figure. It is 16 trillion dollars. The US debt as of today.
The National Debt has continued to increase an average of
$3.90 billion per day since September 28, 2007!
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