Treatment of severe malaria
Control of malaria in recent years has got renewed momentum due to availability of effective interventions and increased financial support by Global Fund to fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Some malaria endemic countries are now considering even elimination of malaria. An expert group for guiding malaria elimination has been formed and their views are published in the Lancet in 6 November, 2010. Examples of such interventions are: vector control by effective insecticide, insecticide impregnated long lasting nets (LLN), rapid diagnostic tests (RDT), combination antimalarial treatments (ACT), pre referral treatment by rectal artesunate in the community and artesunate injection for the treatment of severe malaria. In contemporary period the control and management of any illness has been advocated based on evidence. For malaria control and treatment the recent WHO Guidelines 2010 recommends vector control, use of LLN, ACT, pre referral treatment of rectal artesunate and injection artesunate for severe malaria in adults. All these interventions have been found to reduce the malaria incidence and death with the expectation to achieve the malaria related millennium development goal (MDG) -- 50% reduction of malaria death by 2015. The pivotal trials were conducted in several countries in Asia and Africa, and Bangladesh is a proud participant of such evidence generation. Most malaria deaths happen in children. The result of the biggest study in the treatment of severe malaria should be utilized, the sooner the better. Bangladesh has achieved significant progress in malaria control by using global fund through public-private partnership. Cases of death have reduced significantly.
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