Malaria is on the rise – and the United States is not ready: the supply of CDC drugs to treat the disease is EXPIRED

Malaria cases are increasing and the United States is not ready to do so, as the drugs that remain to treat the disease are out of date, an expert warned.

Currently, severe cases of life-threatening mosquito-borne disease are treated with form IV quinidine glucidine.

However, according to Dr. Mark Travassos, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University School of Maryland Medical Medicine (UMSOM), the remaining stocks of the drug in intravenous form expired earlier this year.

He says that there are oral doses of quinidine available but that they can neither reduce nor slow down replication of the parasite in the blood as quickly as the IV form allows.

Although there is an unapproved FDA drug that can be used, it can take up to a day to reach hospitals, Dr. Travassos says.

Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite transmitted by the bite of a mosquito to humans.

The symptoms resemble those of the flu and include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, nausea and vomiting.

Plasmodium falciparum is the parasite responsible for the severe form of malaria, which affects the liver, brain and cardiovascular system.

In 1951, malaria was considered eliminated in the United States, but about 1,500 cases are diagnosed each year, according to the CDC.

With rising temperatures, mosquito populations around the world are increasing, as well as the prevalence of insects carrying the deadly disease.

Along with these increases, people are traveling more from one country to another, which increases the risks of returning to the United States from abroad.

Of the 1,500 confirmed cases in the United States in 2015, 259 – approximately 6% – were serious and required IV treatment.

"Patients with severe malaria can have brain damage or repeated vomiting and may not tolerate oral medications, putting them at high risk of complications," said Dr. Travassos.

There were 219 million malaria cases worldwide in 2017, up from 216 million in 2016.

In 2017, 435,000 people died of malaria worldwide, compared to 445,000 deaths estimated in 2016.

According to the CDC, malaria cases have steadily increased over the last 40 years.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved intravenous quinidine for the treatment of severe malaria in 1991. This quinidine is still the only FDA approved treatment.

However, as of April 2019, the remaining stocks of quinidine in the United States have expired, which means that there is currently no treatment available.

Dr. Travassos, a malaria specialist in the UMSOM's Malaria Research Program, said that oral treatments are available in the United States, but that they are not as effective at treating men. serious cases.

"Severe malaria is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment with intravenous medication to reduce the risk of death," he said.

Currently, doctors treat serious patients on a case-by-case basis with a form of IV artesunate, a drug not approved by the FDA.

Doctors must request the drug from the CDC, who then sends it to the nearest 10 US airports in the facility where the malaria patient is being treated.

Delivery takes on average eight hours but can last up to 24 hours.

In his commentary, Dr. Travassos recommended that the CDC find pharmaceutical companies capable of making intravenous artesunate – and send a request for expedited approval to the FDA.

This would reduce the approval period from two and a half to six months only.

In addition, he recommended that hospitals immediately test patients who have recently visited areas known for their high rates of malaria.

"As we are increasingly connected to the United States, it is important to understand the risks and concerns associated with diseases such as malaria," said Dr. E. Albert Reece, Dean of the United States. UMSOM.

"At the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Maryland, our scientists and medical scientists are studying the best treatments and approaches for managing and treating the most complex and challenging diseases.