Scientists find old malaria drug effective
11/10/2012 02:36
Scientists monitoring disease resistance have found that chloroquine, once a frontline malaria drug, is becoming effective again in the treatment of the illness.
In a study conducted by the University of Copenhagen and published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, researchers reported that malaria parasites had been found to be more susceptible to chloroquine in several African countries.
“Seventy per cent of the malaria parasites we found in Senegal are reacting once again to chloroquine. This is a trend we have also seen in Tanzania and Mozambique, and which other researchers have shown in Malawi,” Mr Michael Alifrangis, an associate professor at the Centre for Medical Parasitology at the university, said.
While health workers and doctors in other countries seem excited about the drug due to its low cost, in Uganda this is likely not to happen soon as the malaria control programme officials said they could go back to chloroquine after a study is done in the country.