Superbug Reaches Vietnam

An exceptionally drug-resistant strain of the malaria parasite that originated in western Cambodia has now reached southern Vietnam, according to a letter published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Vietnam’s first-line artemisinin treatment is failing at “alarming rates” against Plasmodium falciparum C580Y, the scientists report. The superbug’s spread across the region threatens malaria control, they added.

The Quote: "We are losing a dangerous race. The spread of this malaria 'superbug' [is] forcing changes in drug policy and leaving few options for the future," says co-author Sir Nicholas White, a professor at Mahidol and Oxford universities.

Source: Wellcome Trust