Wüstenschiff

Martin Ballaschk kommentiert den Versuch, mit Homöopathie Malaria zu heilen
03.06.2011 - spektrumdirekt

Können Milchzuckerkügelchen Malaria bekämpfen? Nein, meint Martin Ballaschk in seinem Kommentar: Es ist ein Spiel mit dem Leben der Patienten ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

Insektengift DDT: Wie die Malaria-Wunderwaffe Bauern in die Armut treibt

Von Mücken übertragene Malaria tötet täglich Hunderte Menschen in Uganda - deswegen setzt die Regierung auf das Insektengift DDT. Doch der Pestizid-Einsatz hat gravierende Folgen für die Landbevölkerung: Lieferanten von Bio-Produkten können ihre Ware nicht mehr verkaufen, ihnen droht bittere Armut. mehr...

Grüsse
Alexander

MALARIA - EGYPT (BANI SUWAYF), UNCONFIRMED
******************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Wed 27 Jul 2011
Source: Al Masry Al Youm [edited]
<http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/480620>


The Beni Suef health department has declared a state of emergency
after claiming to have discovered the governorate's 1st case of
malaria. However, Egypt's Health ministry has denied the reports,
stressing that the country is free of the disease and that it would
have announced any cases that had been discovered.

Assistant Health Minister Nasr al-Sayyid denied the supposed discovery
of malaria in Beni Suef or any other governorates.

Magdy Hazin, head of preventive medicine at the Beni Suef health
department, said that a 62-year-old from Beba has been hospitalized at
the Fever Hospital in Beni Suef after testing positive for malaria.
Hazin said the patient has started to respond to medication and that
samples have been taken from more than 200 of the patient's relatives
and sent to Cairo for analysis.

Hazin attributed the infection to the presence of mosquitoes and
garbage in the area. But he ruled out drinking water as a reason for
the man's illness, citing samples taken from the water station near
Beba.

Agents from the health department sprayed the village's entrances and
exits with pesticides to prevent the infection from spreading to
neighboring villages.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>

[Since 1998, no indigenous malaria cases were registered by the
Malaria Control Programme throughout the whole country. Without a
reservoir, it is difficult to explain a single case except as imported
or transmitted from an imported case.

Malaria diagnosis relies on microscopy of thick blood films, and it is
not clear whether the present case has been confirmed or not. Many
infections can easily be confused with malaria.

Malaria in Egypt, background information from the WHO
<http://www.emro.who.int/rbm/CountryProfiles-egy.htm>:

The malaria caseload was reduced from about 85 000 cases in 1960 to
5400 cases in 1970, with a preponderance of _P. vivax_ cases. In 1989
and in 1994-95, 2 outbreaks of malaria (198 and 808 cases,
respectively) occurred, caused almost exclusively by _P. falciparum_
in Fayoum governorate.

After application of intensive control measures, only 4 indigenous
cases (all _P. falciparum_) were reported in 1997. A formal report
from MOH indicates that only 23 cases occurred in 2005, and all were
imported from Sierra Leone and Sudan.

In the past, local vectors assured a moderate level of endemicity of
malaria all over the Nile Valley, Delta and oases. But Egypt also knew
catastrophic epidemics due to the importation of _A. arabiensis_ from
Sudan (the epidemic in Upper Egypt in 1942-1943 that resulted in up to
180 000 deaths).

One of the main concerns of the National Malaria Control Programme is
to prevent the proliferation of _Anopheles arabiensis_ mosquitoes from
Sudan into the Egyptian territory along the shores of Lake Nasser,
which was formed as a result of the completion of the Aswan High Dam
in 1970.

For the HealthMap location of this event, see:
<http://healthmap.org/r/15gV>. - Mod.EP]

Zahlreiche bereits zugelassene Substanzen erweisen sich als hocheffektiv
05.08.2011 - scinexx

Der Kampf gegen Malaria ist auch ein Wettlauf gegen die Resistenz: Immer häufiger und schnell werden die Erreger dieser tödlichen Tropenkrankheit immun gegen die „Waffen“ der Medizin. Einen wichtigen Vorsprung in diesem Rennen haben jetzt US-amerikanische Forscher erzielt. Sie entdeckten 32 Substanzen, die jeweils gegen mehrere Malariastämme effektiv wirkten. Viele töteten auch die Parasiten ab, die gegenüber Standardmedikamenten bereits resistent waren ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

Spermless mosquitoes hold promise to stop malaria
08.08.2011 - BBC

Scientists have created spermless mosquitoes in an effort to curb the spread of malaria. Experts say that this is an important first step toward releasing sterile males into the wild to reduce the size of mosquito populations. Malaria kills around one million people worldwide every year, and in Africa alone, accounts for 20% of all childhood deaths. The work is reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ... mehr
_______________________________

Unfruchtbare Mückenmännchen gegen Malaria
Genetisch veränderte männliche Moskitos können keine Spermien mehr produzieren und dezimieren so die Mückenzahlen
09.08.2011 - wissenschaft-aktuell

Das Aussetzen unfruchtbarer Mückenmännchen könnte sich als nützliche Waffe im Kampf gegen Malaria erweisen. Begatten solche genetisch veränderten, spermienlosen Männchen ein Weibchen, legt dieses daraufhin wie gewöhnlich nach einer Blutmahlzeit seine Eier ab. Diese sind aber unbefruchtet, weshalb der Nachwuchs schlicht ausbleibt. Da sich einmal begattete Weibchen Zeit ihres Lebens nicht erneut paaren, könnten auf diese Weise manipulierte Tiere helfen, die Mückendichte und damit ebenso die Wahrscheinlichkeit von Malaria-Ausbrüchen zu verringern ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

Forscher fürchten Rückkehr der Tropenkrankheit

Moskitonetze schützen vor Malaria - das ist einleuchtend. Doch eine Studie im Senegal wirft die Frage auf, ob die mit Insektiziden beschichteten Stoffe nur kurzfristig nutzen. Denn die Mücken werden gegen das verwendete Gift schnell resistent.
http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/natu ... 48,00.html

Gruß
Götz

MALARIA, PLASMODIUM VIVAX - GREECE: (PELOPONNESUS), AUTOCHTHONOUS
*****************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: 20 Aug 2011
Source: CDC [edited]
<http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/news-announ ... greece.htm>
and
<http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/greece.htm>


Autochthonous _Plasmodium vivax_ malaria from Greece
----------------------------------------------------
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has received a
report from the GeoSentinel Surveillance system of a confirmed case of
_Plasmodium vivax_ malaria in a person who traveled to Elos and Skala
in southern Greece around the last week of July (The patient was a
citizen from Romania and was admitted and diagnosed in Bucharest,
Romania].

The traveler had no history of travel to any malaria-endemic areas.

Greece has been malaria free since 1974; however according to Greek
health authorities, since June 2011, a total of 6 malaria cases have
been reported in persons with no history of travel to a
malaria-endemic area. All cases were confirmed to be _P vivax_ and
occurred in the southern region (Peloponnesus) of the country,
specifically in Laconia and Evoia districts.

The Hellenic CDC of Greece has responded by enhancing its surveillance
system and intensifying mosquito control in affected areas, raising
awareness among health care providers and hospitals about early
malaria diagnosis and treatment, and educating the public about
prevention of mosquito bites.

Because malaria risk in Greece is limited, and the country has
implemented control measures, at this time the CDC is not recommending
that travelers to Greece take an antimalarial drug. However, measures
to prevent mosquito bites should be taken, such as using insect
repellent when outdoors, and staying in an air-conditioned or
well-screened area, or sleeping under an insecticide treated bed net
during the peak biting period for mosquitoes (dusk and dawn).

This notice will be updated as new information becomes available.

See the CDC Malaria website for additional health information about
malaria including prevention of mosquito bites at
<http://www.cdc.gov/malaria>. For general health information for
travelers to all areas of the world, see the CDC Travelers' Health
website at <http://www.cdc.gov/travel>.

--
Communicated by:
Prof.Philippe Parola, MD, PhD
EuroTravnet (http://www.eurotravnet.eu) and Geosentinel
(http://www.geosentinel.org)

and
Corneliu Popescu, MD
Hospital of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine
Bucharest, Romania
<cornel160@yahoo.com>

[Laconia province is located the Peloponnese peninsula (HealthMap
location:
<http://healthmap.org/r/19JI>).

It is difficult to envisage introduction of malaria based on a single
case. The patient was a tourist from Romania who apparently had no
other exposure. If there is autochthonous malaria on the Peloponnese
peninsula, cases in the local population would be expected. - Mod.EP]

Griechenland - Malaria
22.08.2011

Ein Rumäne, der sich Ende Juli im südlichen Griechenland (Peleponnes) aufgehalten hat, ist an Malaria (Plasmodium vivax) erkrankt. Er hatte zuvor kein Malaria-Endemiegebiet bereist, so dass man davon ausgehen muss, dass er sich in Griechenland infiziert hat. Griechenland ist seit 1974 malariafrei, nach Angaben der griechischen Gesundheitsbehörden sind bereits seit Juni 2011 insgesamt 6 Personen ohne Reiseanamnese in ein Endemiegebiet an Malaria erkrankt. Alle Fälle ereigneten sich auf der Peleponnes-Halbinsel. Die Behörden haben die Infektionsüberwachung intensiviert und Aufklärungsmaßnahmen für die Bevölkerung laufen an. Reisende sollten gewissenhaft Expositionsprophylaxe durchführen. / Quelle: crm

Malaria vaccine trial raises hope
21.09.2011 - BBC

Researchers are to expand a clinical trial of a new malaria vaccine after promising results in a preliminary study in Burkina Faso. The trial was designed to test safety, but researchers found that vaccinated children had high levels of protection. Described as a "most encouraging" result, a larger study involving 800 children is now to take place in Mali. The scientists involved say they are hopeful that the vaccine will ultimately be very cheap to produce ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

ANGEMERKT!
Der Kampf gegen Malaria ist noch lange nicht gewonnen
19.10.2011 - spektrum direkt

Nach fast drei Jahrzehnten Forschung steht nun ein effektiver Impfstoff gegen den Malariaerreger Plasmodium falciparum zu Verfügung. Doch der Kampf gegen die Malaria wird noch sehr lange dauern [...] Lars Fischer kommentiert den erfolgreichen Test des Malariaimpfstoffes RTS,S/AS01 ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

MALARIA VACCINE, PHASE III TRIAL - WEST AFRICA
**********************************************

A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org


Date: Fri 21 Oct 2011
Source: The New England Journal of Medicine [edited]
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NE ... #t=article


[ref: Results from a phase 3 trial of RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine in
African children. N Engl J Med. 2011 [Epub ahead of print]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Background
----------
An ongoing hase 3 study of the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of
candidate malaria vaccine RTS,S/AS01 is being conducted in seven
African countries.

Methods
-------
>From March 2009 through January 2011, we enrolled 15 460 children in 2
age categories -- 6 to 12 weeks of age and 5 to 17 months of age --
for vaccination with either RTS,S/AS01 or a non-malaria comparator
vaccine. The primary end point of the analysis was vaccine efficacy
against clinical malaria during the 12 months after vaccination in the
first 6000 children 5 to 17 months of age at enrollment who received
all 3 doses of vaccine according to protocol. After 250 children had
an episode of severe malaria, we evaluated vaccine efficacy against
severe malaria in both age categories.

Results
-------
In the 14 months after the 1st dose of vaccine, the incidence of 1st
episodes of clinical malaria in the 1st 6000 children in the older age
category was 0.32 episodes per person-year in the RTS,S/AS01 group and
0.55 episodes per person-year in the control group, for an efficacy of
50.4 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval [CI], 45.8 to 54.6) in
the intention-to-treat population and 55.8 per cent (97.5 per cent CI,
50.6 to 60.4) in the per-protocol population. Vaccine efficacy against
severe malaria was 45.1 per cent (95 per cent CI, 23.8 to 60.5) in the
intention-to-treat population and 47.3 per cent (95 per cent CI, 22.4
to 64.2) in the per-protocol population. Vaccine efficacy against
severe malaria in the combined age categories was 34.8 per cent (95
per cent CI, 16.2 to 49.2) in the per-protocol population during an
average follow-up of 11 months. Serious adverse events occurred with a
similar frequency in the 2 study groups. Among children in the older
age category, the rate of generalized convulsive seizures after
RTS,S/AS01 vaccination was 1.04 per 1000 doses (95 per cent CI, 0.62
to 1.64).

Conclusions
-----------
The RTS,S/AS01 vaccine provided protection against both clinical and
severe malaria in African children. (Funded by GlaxoSmithKline
Biologicals and the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative; RTS,S
ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00866619.)

--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail


[The reported study is a double blind, randomized controlled trial in
children up to the age of 32 months enrolling 15 460 children. The
protective efficacy was 55.8 per cent overall and 34.8 per cent
against severe malaria during a 12 month follow up period.

An editorial commenting on the vaccine trial is found in the same
issue of the New Engl J Med (White NJ. NEJM 2011; doi
10.1056/NEJMe1111777;
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe1111777).

The results published in the paper are remarkably similar to 2
previous studies of the vaccine.

Alonso et al (Lancet 2005; 366:2012-8) found in 2022 children from
Mozambique a 21 month protective efficacy of 35 per cent and a 48 per
cent reduction in severe malaria of the RTS,S/AS02A vaccine.

A later study (Bejon et al. New Engl. J Med. 2008; 259: 2521-31)
included 809 children from Kenya and Tanzania who received 3 doses of
RTS,S/AS01E and reported an overall protective efficacy of 56 per cent
during 7.9 months follow up.

The results reported in the new study are therefore merely confirming
the protective efficacy of the previous studies. The remaining
question, which is the key question after the previous studies
reported a reduction of severe malaria cases, is whether the vaccine
reduces mortality due to malaria in small children. As the vaccine
reduces the number of severe malaria cases it is expected to reduce
childhood mortality due to malaria, and we look forward to see these
data.

Thus the studies reported over the past 6 years demonstrate that the
vaccine has a protective efficacy at the same level as insecticide
treated nets (ITN) presently the basic tool for malaria control in
Africa.

Pending the mortality data, it will be interesting to follow how
vaccine and ITNs will be used in malaria control, how the cost of the
2 interventions will compare and how effective a combination of the 2
may be. - Mod.EP]

Blockade einer Andockstelle wirkt gegen alle Plasmodium-Stämme
10.11.2011 - scinexx

Forscher haben eine bisher verborgene Schwachstelle des Malaria-Erregers entdeckt. Diese könnte die Entwicklung eines breit wirksamen Impfstoffs gegen die tödliche Tropenkrankheit ermöglichen. Das berichtet das internationale Wissenschaftlerteam im Fachmagazin „Nature“. ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

Wie Sichelzellenanämie vor Malaria schützt
11.11.2011 - spektrumdirekt

Der veränderte Blutfarbstoff bei Sichelzellenanämie hindert Malariaparasiten daran, das Zellskelett von befallenen roten Blutkörperchen umzubauen. Dadurch kann er entscheidende Proteine nur unzureichend an die Oberfläche der Wirtszelle transportieren. Das entdeckte ein Team um den Parasitologen Michael Lanzer von der Universität Heidelberg bei Untersuchungen an befallenen roten Blutkörperchen. Die infizierten Zellen können sich nicht mehr an den Wänden der Blutgefäße verankern und werden in der Milz vernichtet ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

Dank einer deutschen Erfindung kann ein Malariamedikament einfach und preiswert hergestellt werden.
18.01.2012 - DIE ZEIT

Das Institut für Kolloid- und Grenzflächenforschung der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft in Potsdam-Golm, hat als Nebeneffekt reiner Grundlagenforschung ein bahnbrechendes Verfahren zur Herstellung von Artemisinin entwickelt. »Das geht innerhalb von 4,5 Minuten, es ist beliebig skalierbar.«

Der Artikel in werbefreier Druckansicht

Grüße,
Horst

Mit Sauerstoff und Licht zu einem Wirkstoff gegen Malaria
17.01.2012 - Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

Artemisinin, der beste Wirkstoff gegen die Malaria-Infektion, dürfte sich künftig preiswerter und in ausreichender Menge für alle Erkrankten erzeugen lassen.

Forschungsmeldung der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

(Das ist der Originalbericht der MPG, auf der wohl der drüberstehende ZEIT-Artikel beruht.)

Grüße,
Horst