WHO is calling on countries to be increasingly vigilant in monitoring antimalarial drug efficacy in order to allow for early detection of artemisinin resistance.1 This is one among several conclusions of the Global report on antimalarial drug efficacy and drug resistance: 2000-2010, released today.
The report is based on 1100 studies conducted by national malaria control programs and research institutes over the ten-year period.
The report estimates that only 34% of malaria-endemic countries are complying with WHO recommendations to routinely monitor the efficacy of first- and second-line antimalarial medicines.2
“A greater political commitment to support and sustain national monitoring of the efficacy of antimalarial medicines is critical to prevent a wider emergence of artemisinin resistance”, said Dr Pascal Ringwald of the Drug Resistance and Containment Unit, within WHO’s Global Malaria Programme and one of the report authors.
Source: WHO