WHO released the “Global report on antimalarial drug efficacy and drug resistance: 2000–2010,” and called on malaria-endemic countries “to be increasingly vigilant in monitoring antimalarial drug efficacy in order to allow for early detection of artemisinin resistance.” WHO said the report is based on 1,100 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. Dr Pascal Ringwald of the Drug Resistance and Containment Unit, within WHO’s Global Malaria Programme and one of the report authors, said, “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.” Dr Robert Newman, Director of WHO’s Global Malaria Programme, commented, “The emergence of artemisinin resistance on the Cambodia-Thailand border has been a wake-up call to the world to prevent its spread, increase monitoring, and preserve ACTs as the only effective treatment we have for falciparum malaria.  Prompt action will be critical to sustain progress in malaria control and achieve the health-related Millennium Development Goals.”

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2010/malaria_20101118/en/index.html

WHO: Global report on antimalarial efficacy and drug resistance: 2000-2010

http://www.who.int/entity/malaria/publications/atoz/9789241500470/en/index.html