Kenyan scientists successfully used bacteria to kill the parasite that causes malaria, potentially leading to the development of a new class of drugs in less than two years. The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and global health partners are calling it a breakthrough. Human trials of these new antimalarial drugs made from bacteria are going to be performed by the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after extensive lab research.
All of this hype about a new treatment came about after trials in Burkina Faso proved that Ivermectin – a conventional drug used for parasitic diseases including river blindness and elephantiasis – reduced transmission rates. The medication’s effectiveness was due to how it made the blood of people who were repeatedly vaccinated lethal to mosquitoes. The study also found that when Ivermectin is administered to humans, it can kill plasmodium falciparum, the malaria parasite carried by female mosquitoes.
The scientists began this initiative in the first place after learning about studies conducted by the World Health Organization and several international health agencies warning of resistance to existing antimalarial drugs. The research is being conducted by local scientists in collaboration with international health experts.
Dr. Simon Kariuki, head of Kenya’s malaria research programs at KEMRI, said:
Resistance is always a problem and the parasite always finds a way to get away with it. That is why a new line of treatment is a must. It has to be made available soon.
We have discovered [that the] bacterium is highly effective in killing plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria, but our research is more focused on pregnant women and children as they are more vulnerable. We are getting very motivating leads. In a few years, new malaria drugs could be in the market if the current research findings are to go by. The same bacteria known to kill dangerous pathogens in scabies, river blindness, can also be applied in malaria.
The motivating success of Ivermectin is leading us to venture into producing other drugs. That is very encouraging and it means more research, and that is what we are doing. Future drug trials of women and children are planned … and obviously with the highest safety standards. We need more answers on Ivermectin. We need new malaria drugs as soon as possible as drug resistance is not something to ignore and we have to treat the situation as urgent.
According to a separate study published by the Yale School of Public Health, child malaria episodes could be reduced by up to 20% if populations living in high-risk areas are given Ivermectin, which would be very helpful. At the moment, the situation is only getting worse as Kenya’s health ministry says malaria cases have gone up from 16,000 in 2016 to about 18,757 in 2018. That number is only expected to rise because of climate change, experts warn.
