Washington Post: Malaria is getting bigger and badder — and we’re not ready for it
Robert Gebelhoff, assistant editor of the Washington Post’s In Theory

“…Thanks to decades of using insecticides and drugs to stave [off] the mosquito-borne disease, malaria has slowly been evolving to get around our offenses. Without any effective vaccine in place, we’re in desperate need of new tools to fight it. … [T]he situation has only gotten worse, both in terms of prevention and treatment. A group of researchers published a paper earlier this week detailing the emergence of malaria parasites in western Cambodia, southern Laos, and northeastern Thailand that are resistant to two commonly used treatment drugs, artemisinin and its partner drug piperaquine. What’s more, the parasites appear to be genetically mutated in such a way that makes them more capable of moving from one person to another. … [M]osquitoes have also slowly become resistant to the insecticides commonly used in bed nets throughout the developing world. One study published this week, which examined mosquitoes across the continent of Africa, warns of widespread resistance to pyrethroids — the primary insecticide used in malaria prevention. … Resistant malaria needs to be a high priority for the new administration and governments in the developing world. With the proper resources and attention, we might be able to stave off catastrophe” (2/3).