Malaria is caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, which is carried by females mosquitos
Credit: AFP
New research has shown the first clinical evidence that a mutated drug-resistant form of the parasite which causes malaria is spreading in Africa and may have “dire consequences”.
Over the last two decades, huge gains have been made against the disease. The number of malaria deaths around the world has practically halved, from 840,000 deaths per year in 2000 to 440,000 in 2015.
This decline has largely been due to the distribution of cheap anti-malaria drugs and the availability of mosquito nets. However, experts have long feared that the emergence of a drug-resistant form of malaria could reverse some of these gains.