Malaria remains one of the most devastating infectious diseases, it kills more people than any other tropical disease, in most cases of deaths are due to delay in diagnosis and treatment. The disease affects mainly the vulnerable section of the society, which consist of younger children and the poor.
World Health Organisation (WHO) has defined “Resistance as the ability of the parasite strain to survive and / or to multiply despite administration and absorption of a drug in doses equal to or higher than those usually recommended but within the limits of tolerance of the subject.
The recurrence of malaria in patient can be caused by some factors which are going to listed in this article. We will be looking at five key reasons why malaria keeps reoccurring despite being treated, as this have been a major cause of worry to certain individuals with this ailment
5 Key Factors of Malaria Drug Resistance
- Reinfection from a new mosquito bite: There is a high tendency of relapse if one is exposed to mosquitoes carrying the parasite (Plasmodium falciparum). This can lead another series of infestation.
- Substandard treatments/drugs: When treating malaria it is essential to use standard medication, as this will lead to quicker and better recovery, but in the case of substandard drugs reverse is the case, as the drugs don’t have the power to deal with the parasite effectively. Hence relapse occurs.
- Poor administration of antimalarial drug: Following the order of drug prescription is highly necessary to avoid recurrence of malaria, as this will bot give the parasite time to grow resistance on that particular.
- Artemisinin drug use without a complementary combination treatment, such as lumefantrine (ACT)
- Unusual genetic structure of malaria parasites in regions known for antimalarial drug resistance
Some other causes may include Pregnancy as it lowers the immunity to malaria, making it more prone for pregnant women to fall sick of malaria easily.
It will require more than just the development of new-antimalarials to combat the global menace of malaria. It is unlikely that an ideal anti-malarial with no possibility of resistance will ever be manufactured. Responsible use of new drugs is essential.