Malaria: current status of control, diagnosis, treatment, and a proposed agenda for research and development.
Rolling back malaria is possible. Tools are available but they are not used. Several countries deploy, as their national malaria control treatment policy, drugs that are no longer effective. New and innovative methods of vector control, diagnosis, and treatment should be developed, and work towards development of new drugs and a vaccine should receive much greater support. But the pressing need, in the face of increasing global mortality and general lack of progress in malaria control, is research into the best methods of deploying and using existing approaches, particularly insecticide-treated mosquito nets, rapid methods of diagnosis, and artemisinin-based combination treatments. Evidence on these approaches should provide national governments and international donors with the cost-benefit information that would justify much-needed increases in global support for appropriate and effective malaria control.
Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Norway. philippe.guerin@fhi.no
Philippe J
PJ
Guerin
Piero
P
Olliaro
Francois
F
Nosten
Pierre
P
Druilhe
Ramanan
R
Laxminarayan
Fred
F
Binka
Wen L
WL
Kilama
Nathan
N
Ford
Nicholas J
NJ
White
D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control; D017780:Malaria Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009032:Mosquito Control / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control; D012106:Research
D000962:Antimalarials; D017780:Malaria Vaccines