Malaria News and Research

Latest Malaria News and Research

New drug MED6-189 shows promise against drug-resistant malaria

In 2022, nearly 619,000 global deaths due to malaria were caused by Plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent, prevalent, and deadly human malaria parasite.

26 Sep 2024

Antibiotic resistance threatens millions of lives worldwide

More than 39 million people around the world could die from antibiotic-resistant infections over the next 25 years, according to a study published in The Lancet.

18 Sep 2024

Survey reveals significant gaps in global pandemic preparedness

Abbott announced the findings of a new survey; among leading infectious disease experts around the world on the state of pandemic preparedness and found that while most agree that preparation has improved since the COVID-19 pandemic, respondents say significant gaps remain in building surveillance programs to identify emerging pathogens, public health funding and having adequate testing infrastructure capabilities.

18 Sep 2024

Cancer patients face increased risk of long-term mental health problems

People diagnosed with cancer are at a greater risk of mental health problems even five years after their diagnosis, according to a large-scale study of data from UK GP patient records.

17 Sep 2024

Evolution of vaccine adjuvants from empirical discovery to rational design

Vaccine adjuvants have evolved significantly since their inception, transitioning from empirical discovery to a more structured approach grounded in rational drug design.

13 Sep 2024

Genetics of Alzheimer's disease and dementia in African populations presented at Nairobi conference

Regions of the genome associated with Alzheimer's disease and dementia in African populations will be presented at the Future of Dementia in Africa conference on September 11-12, 2024.

12 Sep 2024

How mosquito spit could help develop therapies for arboviral diseases

You might guess it'd be tough to extract saliva from a mosquito. And you'd be correct. Yet, because mosquitos spread disease via saliva, it's critical to sample and study.

5 Sep 2024

Mosquito males’ visual and auditory cues reveal new insights for malaria control

A high-pitched buzzing sound in your ear is an unmistakable sign that a female mosquito is out on the hunt - for they, not males, drink blood. Hearing that tone might make you turn to try to swat the pest. But for a male mosquito, that tone means it's time to mate.

30 Aug 2024

LSHTM receives £2.8m grant to tackle hidden malaria in India

Researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) have been awarded £2.8m to study factors sustaining malaria transmission in an area of India where infections are evading detection.

27 Aug 2024

Mosquitoes detect infrared radiation for host seeking

While a mosquito bite is often no more than a temporary bother, in many parts of the world it can be scary. One mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, spreads the viruses that cause over 100,000,000 cases of dengue, yellow fever, Zika, and other diseases every year. Another, Anopheles gambiae, spreads the parasite that causes malaria. The World Health Organization estimates that malaria alone causes more than 400,000 deaths every year. Indeed, their capacity to transmit disease has earned mosquitoes the title of deadliest animal.

23 Aug 2024

Expanded use of common antibiotic cuts child mortality by 14% in Sub-Saharan Africa

When UC San Francisco research showed that routinely treating children in Sub-Saharan Africa with a common antibiotic could reduce deaths in children under five, the World Health Organization (WHO) moved quickly to recommend the treatment – but only for infants between 1 and 11 months old.

22 Aug 2024

Spatial transcriptomics unlocks malaria's liver stage secrets

For the malaria parasite to reach the blood of its human host, it must first enter the liver, where only a small number of parasites differentiate and replicate for upwards of seven days, making it a bottleneck in the parasite's lifecycle. This bottleneck makes the liver stage an optimal target for effective and long-lasting vaccines against the disease. Using Spatial Transcriptomics and single-cell RNA-sequencing technologies, researchers at Stockholm University have for the first time managed to create a spatio-temporal map of malaria infection in the mouse liver. A study that was recently published in Nature Communications.

21 Aug 2024

First meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee reports on mpox surge

The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), having concurred with the advice offered by the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR or Regulations) Emergency Committee regarding the upsurge of mpox 2024 during its first meeting, held on 14 August 2024, has determined, on the same date, that the ongoing upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and in a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the provisions of the Regulations.

20 Aug 2024

Study reveals time-of-day impact on cerebral malaria severity

A discovery by McGill-affiliated researchers could lead to more effective treatment of malaria and other parasitic diseases.

19 Aug 2024

Pneumococcal vaccines could drastically reduce child deaths by 2030

Utilizing pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) could save almost 700,000 children's lives between the time of their introduction to the year 2030, according to a new modeling study. This would be equivalent to the average number of babies born in the UK each year.

16 Aug 2024

Breakthrough malaria vaccine offers long-term protection for pregnant women

In a report published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases (Safety and efficacy of PfSPZ Vaccine against malaria in healthy adults and women anticipating pregnancy in Mali: two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 1 and 2 trials) a team led by investigators at the Malaria Research and Training Center (MRTC), Bamako, Mali; the Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology (LMIV), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health; and Sanaria Inc. describes the durable protective efficacy against malaria shown by Sanaria® PfSPZ Vaccine when administered to women prior to pregnancy.

14 Aug 2024