Burundi acts on drug-resistant malaria

The African nation of Burundi is to stop using chloroquine as atreatment for malaria for a six-month period, following a rise in drug-resistant cases of the disease. Chloroquine is the most widely-used malaria drug in Burundi, where there were an estimated three million cases of the disease last year, but the drug is now curing only 30% of children with the disease, according to a conference of officials from the national government, the World Health Organization and UNICEF.

In contrast, Fansidar (pyrimethamine sulfadoxine) is estimated to cure seven out of 10 children suffering from the disease, and this drug will be prescribed during the six-month period for the treatment of mild cases, while quinine will be used for more serious cases. The use of amodiaquine to treat malaria will also be tested during the period.