Malaria News and Research

Latest Malaria News and Research

Intermittent preventive treatment could prevent a third of infant malaria cases, study finds

Research into intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in infants (IPTi) found that one-third of malaria cases in African babies can be prevented by giving them regular doses of malaria drugs even if they have not contracted the disease, according to a Lancet study, published on Thursday, Reuters reports. The study found that IPTi "helped children build better immunity to the disease and reduced the risk of the parasite becoming drug-resistant," but "these benefits decrease if treatment is given continuously as a prophylaxis," Reuters writes.

18 Sep 2009

NASDAQ Stock Market issues notification letter to GenVec

On September 15, 2009, GenVec, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNVC) received a notice from The NASDAQ Stock Market stating that the minimum bid price of the Company's common stock was below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days and that the Company was therefore not in compliance with Marketplace Rule 5450(a)(5).

17 Sep 2009

Biomagnetics and U.S. Government laboratory continue contract negotiations

Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corp., (PINK SHEETS:BMGP) a developer of revolutionary diagnostic systems and technology for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and malaria detection, today announced the Company is in continuing contract negotiations to acquire the rights to Integrated Optical Biosensor System (IBOS) technology developed by one of the U.S. Government’s top national security research institutions.

17 Sep 2009

IPTi tool with SP medicine helps prevent malaria in African infants

A third (30%) of malaria cases can be avoided in African infants using a safe, affordable and simple tool called Intermittent Preventive Treatment of malaria in Infants (IPTi) with the medicine sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), which can be delivered alongside existing childhood vaccination programmes.

17 Sep 2009

US NetMark project helps build African and international businesses

The NetMark project, a $67 million, USAID-funded public-private partnership to prevent malaria, ends September 30, but the bed net market continues to thrive in seven countries where it operated-Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Zambia. Not only did the U.S. investment help spur major spending by private companies-for every $1 in public funds, African and international businesses spent $1.30-the new commercial sector now exists.

17 Sep 2009

News outlets examine West Africa floods

The torrential rains that began in June in West Africa and subsequent floods have forced an estimated 150,000 people from their homes and claimed the lives of 160, VOA News reports. The worst affected countries include Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger and Sierra Leone (Schlein, 9/13).

17 Sep 2009

Also in Global Health news: Tanzania's health care; polio, diarrhea in India; ITNs in Nigeria; health in Sudan

Rotary International recently started working with the Indian government to fight diarrhea, which can make polio immunizations ineffective, IANS/Thaindian News reports. Deepak Kapur, chairman of the India National PolioPlus Society of Rotary International, said the plan is to educate people about the use of use of zinc tablets and oral rehydration therapy to prevent diarrhea, which kills almost 500,000 children per year in the country (Khan, 9/16).

17 Sep 2009

Six research project grants aimed at improving human health awarded

Six research project grant awards totaling $5.1 million will be made to Washington life sciences organizations and their partners, the state’s Life Sciences Discovery Fund announced today.

16 Sep 2009

Pros and cons of HIV treatments in developing countries

Palumbo is co-leading a clinical study of anti-HIV medicines in Africa and India for the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Group (IMPAACT). The randomized trial found that a cohort of 82 HIV-infected children ages 6 to 35 months responded better to treatment with the protease-inhibiting drug lopinavir (LPV/r) than did a cohort of 82 children in the same age group who received the anti-retroviral drug nevirapine (NVP).

16 Sep 2009

Urgent vaccine requirements for treating epidemic diseases voiced at ECI 2009

As a result of dominant media coverage of new epidemic threats such as swine influenza, other infection risks receive less public attention than they deserve. "We would like to bring to everybody's attention that the infectious diseases with the most severe consequences continue to be old acquaintances such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, malaria and hepatitis C. About six million people worldwide die of these diseases every year," says Professor Dr. Dr. h. c. Stefan H. E. Kaufmann, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, at the 2nd European Congress of Immunology ECI 2009.

16 Sep 2009

Opinion piece calls for enhanced U.S.-Russia health collaboration

While legislators in Moscow attempt to reform the Russian health system in a way that is "strikingly similar" to the reform process in the U.S. and "[g]iven the importance of the U.S.-Russia relationship ... our two countries have a historic opportunity to expand our health collaboration and, in so doing, improve our diplomatic ties," former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

16 Sep 2009

NIAID awards Sanaria an SBIR Grant for expediting its malaria vaccine manufacturing process

Sanaria Inc. has received additional support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health in the form of a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant. The award for two years is $1.99 million. Subject to satisfactory progress by Sanaria, continued funding for a third year will bring the total to nearly $3 million.

16 Sep 2009

Also in Global Health News: PNG, Nepal outbreaks; Taliban Oks polio vaccination; Technology helps in developing countries; Satellite images for malaria control

VOA News examines the ongoing struggle for Papua New Guinea's health system to treat thousands of people infected by the "simultaneous outbreaks of influenza, dysentery and cholera that have killed about 120 people." The article includes information about the difficulties heath officials are having in assessing the various outbreaks and concerns of medical workers that conditions may soon worsen (Mercer, 9/14).

16 Sep 2009

Emerging Growth Research to manage investor relations programs for Biomagnetics Diagnostics

Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corp., a producer of revolutionary diagnostic systems and technology for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and malaria detection, today announced it has retained Emerging Growth Research, LLP to manage its public relations and investor relations programs. Emerging Growth Research specializes in small market capitalization companies in the technology and biotechnology sectors.

14 Sep 2009

Recent releases: HIV and nutrition; new global health journal; male circumcision; Chagas disease; malaria research methods

"Despite calls from national and international organizations to integrate HIV and nutritional programs, data are lacking on how such programs can be effectively implemented in resource-poor settings, on the optimum content and duration of nutritional support, and on ideal target recipients," write the authors of a Clinical Infectious Diseases review that examines the relationship between HIV, nutritional deficiencies and food insecurity.

14 Sep 2009

Quintiles partners with the University of Pretoria

Quintiles, the only fully integrated biopharmaceutical services company offering clinical, commercial, consulting and capital solutions worldwide, today announced a strategic alliance agreement with the University of Pretoria as part of its industry unique Prime Site program, an initiative to accelerate the development of new and more effective medicines.

11 Sep 2009

Study in Asia finds monkey malaria strain more widespread in humans than previously thought

"Researchers in Malaysia have confirmed that a form of malaria thought to primarily affect monkeys can infect and kill humans, according to a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases journal," Agence France-Presse reports.

11 Sep 2009

Under-five mortality rate continues to decline

UNICEF today released new figures that show the rate of deaths of children under five years of age continued to decline in 2008.

11 Sep 2009

UNICEF data shows global child mortality now below 9m, progress not enough to achieve MDG in most regions

The annual number of deaths among children younger than five worldwide "has fallen below nine million" compared with 12.5 million in 1990, according to new data from UNICEF, the New York Times reports. "That's 10,000 less children dying per day," Ann Veneman, UNICEF's executive director, said.

10 Sep 2009

New form of malarial infection identified

Researchers in Malaysia have identified key laboratory and clinical features of an emerging new form of malaria infection. The research, funded by the Wellcome Trust, confirms the potentially deadly nature of the disease.

10 Sep 2009