Author: ulick

There is a very interesting study in MalariaWorld this week examining the link between malaria and malnutrition. ‘Malaria-malnutrition interaction: prevalence, risk factors, and­ the ­impact of intermittent preventive therapy for ­malaria on­ nutritional status of­ school-age children in Muheza, Tanga, Tanzania — A ­cross-sectional survey and ­a­ randomized controlled open-label trial’ by Hhera et al […]

One of the most bizarre proposals for solving the problem of the malaria is the release of genetically modified mosquitos. This method was questioned in the lead article in MalariaWorld last week ‘Releasing Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in Burkina Faso is Dangerous’ that links to a discussion by a French journal of a publication by Ms. […]

My most profound enlightenment during COVID came from reading the book Virus Mania by Englebrecht et al. It drew my attention to the work of Drs Sam and Mark Bailey, Mike Stone, Stefan Lanka and others. This broad topic is well covered by others more expert than me and outside the scope of my column. […]

Just two weeks after reporting that Ivermectin was not effective at preventing malaria, I am surprised to see the lead story in MalariaWorld this week is ‘New research supports ivermectin as an effective strategy to control malaria transmission’. Ivermectin to Control Malaria —  A Cluster-Randomized Trial by Chaccour et al reports from a study in […]

Malaria is much less of an issue in Southern Africa than in my current abode in East Africa. But it was a trip to Botswana a few years ago that first drew my attention to this tropical malady. While my destination near Gaborone in the south was not on the malaria map, Kasane in the […]

Ivermectin is an anti-parasite medication used to treat parasitic diseases, including parasitic worms, hookworm, whipworm, and external parasites and many others off label. Ivermectin works by paralyzing muscles in parasites, causing them to die. Since malaria is supposedly caused by a plasmodium parasite transmitted by mosquito bites, one might expect this powerful anti-parasitic medication to […]

The malaria community was abuzz this week with news of the approval of a drug to treat babies 2-5 kg for malaria. Swissmedic approved Riamet Baby (also known as Coartem baby), the first drug designed specifically to treat malaria in very young children. It is available as a dispersible, cherry-flavoured formulation to help improve administration. […]

In MalariaWorld this week the study ‘Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding malaria in rural Uganda: a cross-sectional study’ by Cathorall et al is featured. In four villages in rural Uganda 106 adults, heads of household, were questions about a variety of issues related to malaria and, in particular, bed net use. The major findings from […]

An architectural blog article referenced in MalariaWorld provides further support for the linkage of occurrence of malaria to the quality of housing to which I have frequently made reference.  ‘Can better housing help prevent malaria? The Star Homes Project in Sub-Saharan Africa’ by Lonati in designwanted.com describes a custom-built housing project in Mtwara region of […]

Despite underwhelming performance (see my June 6, 2025 post) the malaria vaccines, that were tested against a rabies vaccine and not a true placebo (see February 8, 2025, December 22, 2024, August 11, 2024, & June 5, 2024) are being promoted heavily in malaria stricken areas, selling people hope that can not be backed by […]