New Malaria Drug Launched in Latin America, Southeast Asia　(2/2)


Researchers tested the new medicine in a one-year study of seventeen thousand patients in the state of Acre in the Brazilian Amazon. Health care resources in the area were also expanded, including early identification of malaria. Health officials say the result was a thirty-six percent drop in cases.

Malaria is caused by a parasite" class="hjdict" word="parasite" target=_blank>parasite which is passed to humans through mosquito bites. As many as five hundred million infections happen every year. Around sixty percent of the cases, and more than eighty percent of the deaths, happen in Africa south of the Sahara. Africa suffers more than a million deaths, mostly children.

Doctor Pecoul says his organization is supporting a study in Tanzania to see if the new drug could be used successfully in Africa. Currently in Africa, there are two first-line treatments with artesunate and other drugs. He says artesunate and mefloquine could have a use in places like eastern Africa where there are high levels of resistance to several drugs.

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative began in two thousand three. It was established by the Pasteur Institute and Doctors Without Borders along with four publicly supported research organizations.

参考译文：

研究人员对巴西亚马逊阿克里州的一万七千名病人进行了为期一年的新药试验. 当地的医疗保健方法也得到了扩充, 其中就包括疟疾的早期鉴定. 卫生部官员说,在这些病例中结果是（ 疟疾的病发率）已下降了36%.

疟疾是通过蚊虫叮咬后传入人体内的寄生虫引发的一种疾病. 每年疟疾的感染病例多达五亿起. 其中大约60%的病例和超过五分之四的死亡人数发生在撒哈拉以南的非洲地区. 非洲死于疟疾的人口超过一百万,其中大多是儿童.

Pecoul医生称他的组织正支持一项在坦桑尼亚的研究, 通过该研究可以了解试验新药是否在非洲有效.目前在非洲, 主要有青蒿素和其他药物两个治疗方法. 他认为,在已经对几种药物产生高抗药性的地区如非洲东部,青蒿素和甲氟喹可能会有功效.

被忽视疾病药物研发组织始建于2003年,由巴斯德研究院,无国界医生组织连同四家公营研究机构所组建.





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