Artemisinin resistant Malaria at India's threshold! ‘Don`t get Malaria !’

Contributed by Akilesh Ramasamy in association with A.J. Tamhankar

Chloroquine resistance is wide spread in certain pockets of India. Artemisinin is the most effective anti-malarial drug to date against the deadly Plasmodium falciparum malarial parasite. The spread of Artemisinin resistant malaria is rampant in South East Asian countries. British researchers have found these strains of malarial parasite at the borders of Myanmar as well. It may not be long before India falls prey to these resistant strains. 

The only way to survive malaria would then be to ‘not get malaria!’

Search for newer antibiotics – Crawling back to Mother Nature's Laps!

Contributed by Akilesh Ramasamy in association with A.J. Tamhankar

“Antibiotic resistance is not a threat looming over the horizon. It's here, right now ....”

- Margaret Chan, Director Genreral, WHO

In South Africa, tuberculosis resistant to all known antitubercular agents is prevalent. Multiple Drug Resistant (MDR) cases of tuberculosis is not unknown in India. Even doctors have succumbed to MDR-TB, the death of an intern from Sion Hospital due to MDR-TB in 2013 is a case in point. (News Source: TOI, 1 July, 2013) Residents, interns, nurses and even dentists of civic hospitals have been known to be victims of tuberculosis with some of them developing MDR-TB. (News Source: Mid-Day 31 Dec. 2013 )