malaria news stories on Newser

Malaria Drugs Lose Punch in Key Region

John Johnson — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 16:16:49 CDT

Malaria researchers are watching with alarm as once-effective drugs lose their punch in a flashpoint region, reports the Guardian . New studies show that drugs based on the plant extract artemisinin are losing potency on the Burma-Thailand border. The problem started in Cambodia and is apparently spreading as counterfeit versions spring...

Risky Malaria Drug: a Factor in Afghan Massacre?

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:35:05 CDT

In the wake of the shootings of 17 civilians in Afghanistan, the US military is scrambling to limit the use of an anti-malaria drug that can have serious side effects—including psychotic behavior. Mefloquine, also called Lariam, has already been implicated in a number of suicides and homicides. In 2009,...

Malaria Kills Twice as Many as We Thought: Study

Kevin Spak — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:07:27 CST

Health officials have been vastly underestimating the number of people who die of malaria every year, because they've largely ignored its adult victims, according to a new report published in the Lancet . The actual death toll for 2010, according to its estimate, was 1.24 million, nearly twice the World...

Malaria Deaths Plummet 20% Over Decade

Matt Cantor — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:43:06 CDT

Countries across the globe are making giant strides against malaria, the World Health Organization says: The number of deaths from the disease has dropped more than 20% over the last 10 years, and a third of the 108 countries where the illness is endemic could be rid of it in...

Smelly Socks Could Stop Malaria

Tim Karan — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:05:49 CDT

Your smelly clothes hamper could soon save lives. Researchers in Tanzania are testing dirty socks as a way to prevent malaria, reports the Washington Post . The scent of the socks lure mosquitoes infected with the disease into traps, where they're poisoned and die. If it works, it'll provide a low-cost...

Fungus Cures Mosquitoes of Malaria

Matt Cantor — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 06:17:33 CST

Scientists are trying a new approach to stop the spread of malaria: Rather than attempt to kill the mosquitoes outright, they're using a genetically-altered fungus to kill the parasite in the mosquitoes who spread it, NPR reports. "The trick we did was to engineer the fungus so that it produces...

George Clooney Gets, Beats Malaria

Nick McMaster — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:02:53 CST

Lots of celebrities do philanthropy, but George Clooney's actually suffering in the line of do-goodery—the actor contracted malaria while on a recent trip to Sudan, People reports. However, he's fully cured after a 10-day convalescence, said a spokesman. Clooney was in Sudan ahead of its vote on southern independence.

Mutating Malaria Mosquito Breeds Panic

Rob Quinn — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 02:00:00 CDT

Scientists battling the deadliest creature on Earth have been alarmed to discover that it is rapidly evolving into two distinct species. The Anopheles gambiae mosquito, responsible for some million deaths from malaria every year, has split into two genetically different strains, the Independent reports. Scientists warn that this will complicate...

Genetically Modified Mosquito May End Malaria

Guvner — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 09:05:40 CDT

Researchers from the University of Arizona have developed a genetically modified mosquito that is immune to the malaria parasite and thus unable to transmit the illness to people. The new mosquito could eventually help control or even eliminate the disease. Malaria infects more than 250 million yearly, resulting in a...