About this Research Topic
Malaria remains one of the world’s most severe public health problems, being endemic in 85 countries. However, nearly the entire burden of malaria is borne by Africa, a region that accounted for about 95% of cases and 96% of deaths worldwide in 2021. Although significant efforts have been made to control and eliminate malaria in this continent, several difficulties have appeared along the way, slowing down the progress. Some of the threats spotlighted by researchers are mosquito vector resistance to insecticides, failure of rapid diagnostic tests to detect the parasites, a lack of data from all malaria-endemic parts of Africa, and the emergence of antimalarial drug resistance.
Over the last few years, an increasing number of studies have revealed artemisinin partial resistance in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Horn of Africa. These are very alarming findings since artemisinins are life-saving drugs, critical for the treatment of both uncomplicated and severe malaria. Further, there have been scattered reports of reduced efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine and other Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies from Angola and Burkina Faso. Failure of artemisinin-based treatments would have terrible consequences in Africa and elsewhere. ACT partner drug resistance has not yet been confirmed, and although some reports have shown treatment failure of different combinations, more research is needed to clarify their effectiveness.
This Research Topic aims to bring together the latest advances in antimalarial drug resistance in Africa. We are happy to invite all types of contributions (original research, reviews, mini-reviews, methods, editorials) with the objective to answer several outstanding questions, which include, but are not limited to:
- Identification of genetic changes in the parasite related to resistance to antimalarial drugs
- Clinical development of novel antimalarial drugs
- Surveillance studies of antimalarial drug resistance in different areas of Africa
- Clinical studies to determine antimalarial drug efficacy of current and alternative treatment options
Over the last few years, an increasing number of studies have revealed artemisinin partial resistance in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Horn of Africa. These are very alarming findings since artemisinins are life-saving drugs, critical for the treatment of both uncomplicated and severe malaria. Further, there have been scattered reports of reduced efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine and other Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies from Angola and Burkina Faso. Failure of artemisinin-based treatments would have terrible consequences in Africa and elsewhere. ACT partner drug resistance has not yet been confirmed, and although some reports have shown treatment failure of different combinations, more research is needed to clarify their effectiveness.
This Research Topic aims to bring together the latest advances in antimalarial drug resistance in Africa. We are happy to invite all types of contributions (original research, reviews, mini-reviews, methods, editorials) with the objective to answer several outstanding questions, which include, but are not limited to:
- Identification of genetic changes in the parasite related to resistance to antimalarial drugs
- Clinical development of novel antimalarial drugs
- Surveillance studies of antimalarial drug resistance in different areas of Africa
- Clinical studies to determine antimalarial drug efficacy of current and alternative treatment options
Keywords: malaria, drug resistance, Africa, artemisinin-based treatments
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
