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NEW ORLEANS (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Malaria is a potentially deadly parasite that infects more than 300 million people worldwide every year. One of the biggest problems is that well over 50 percent of malaria parasites are resistant to current therapies. Now one American doctor has found a way to treat drug-resistant malaria.
How much do American travelers know about malaria? Infectious disease expert Donald Krogstad, M.D., says many Americans think malaria is a disease of the past. But he's got news for the millions of Americans who travel overseas.
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"The mosquitoes which transmit malaria are still in the United States, so if you bring back people who have acquired an infection overseas, it can be transmitted," Dr. Krogstad, of Tulane University in New Orleans, tells Ivanhoe.
Each year, malaria infects about 1,500 Americans and more than 300 million people worldwide. It kills 3 million. Dr. Krogstad says drug resistance is the most important single driving force behind the worldwide reemergence of malaria. He has been researching it for 20 years and developed the drug AQ13 to treat drug-resistant forms.
"It could have an enormous impact," he says.
Studies show the drug works against drug-resistant malaria. That's good news for Americans who plan on traveling to South America, Asia and Africa -- all high-risk areas for malaria. Major vacation destinations like China, Mexico and Thailand are included in those at-risk areas, and each year, 125 million international travelers need protection when traveling to malaria-risk areas.
Dr. Krogstad says, "This does have the potential to put a truly affordable treatment in the hands of the people who need it the most."
One treatment course of AQ13 costs just 9 and could give people everywhere a fighting chance against malaria. The new drug under study is not yet FDA approved.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
If you would like more information, please contact:
Madeline Vann
Tulane University Office of Public Relations
200 Broadway, Ste 219
New Orleans, LA 70118
(504) 247-1425
mvann@tulane.edu
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