A new combination treatment for malaria is as effective as the "gold standard" therapy for the disease, but only needs to be taken once a day rather than twice, The Lancet reported on Friday.
The new treatment, combining pyronaridine and artesunate, was tested at seven sites in Africa and three in Southeast Asia alongside the standard drugs, artemether and lumefantrine.
Malaria - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Prevention, Treatment
Malaria is caused by a parasite that enters blood through the bite of an infected mosquito. It is characterized by fever, vomiting, shivering, sweating and other symptoms.
Malaria is caused by a parasite that enters blood through the bite of an infected mosquito. It is characterized by fever, vomiting, shivering, sweating and other symptoms.
Both regimens were equally effective in clearing out malarial parasites in the blood at a 28-day mark, and had an equal number of reported side effects.
Raised levels of liver enzymes occurred among the pyronaridine-artesunate group, but these episodes were "mild and transient," says the medical journal.
About Mosquito Diseases
Mosquito-borne diseases, like malaria, filaria, dengue, etc are common in places conducive of mosquito breeding. Swamps, ponds and stagnated drainage provide optimal breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Mosquito-borne diseases, like malaria, filaria, dengue, etc are common in places conducive of mosquito breeding. Swamps, ponds and stagnated drainage provide optimal breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Both combination treatments are types of artemisinin, whose active ingredient derives from a plant called Artemesia annua, also known as qinghaosu or sweet wormwood.
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Malaria claims the lives of around 865,000 people each year, 85 percent of them children, according to the UN's World Health Organisation (WHO).
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