Drug-resistant malaria in Cambodia

Malaria parasites in western Cambodia have become resistant to artemisinin-based therapies, the first-line treatment for malaria, according to a study by Oxford University researchers based in Thailand and published in the  New England Journal of Medicine . Signs of artemisinin resistance have been reported in the region already, but this new research is the first detailed study of the problem. Resistance to the drugs could eventually render them obsolete, putting millions of lives at risk. Professor Nick White, co-author of the study, believes the implications of the findings are potentially huge: 'Artemisinins are essential weapons in our war against malaria. If they become ineffective, we have no immediate replacement. The consequences could be devastating. Elimination of malaria will not be possible and millions of lives could be lost.' Malaria kills more than a million people each year, mainly young children and pregnant women.