Warnings of drug-resistant malaria

Warnings of drug-resistant malaria

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi (JP): With fear of a malaria outbreak
high on people's minds due to the climatic shift from the wet to
the dry season, a scientist specializing malaria treatment warned
that the common drugs used may no longer be effective in treating
the illness.

Gene mutation expert Syarifuddin cautioned that while there
had yet to be indisputable evidence, there was a worrying trend
that the medication normally used to treat malaria would be
ineffective due to the resistance or gene mutation of the
bacteria.

Syarifuddin pointed out that this trend was based on an
assumption taken from a recent study conducted in several areas
across the country which found that medication used for treating
malaria was no longer effective.

He mentioned areas in South Sulawesi, Central Java, Irian
Jaya, East Kalimantan and East Nusa Tenggara where research had
found that the usual malaria medication had not yielded maximum
results.

"The medication doesn't work anymore because the bacteria has
undergone gene mutation ... There is resistance once the medicine
is consumed by a human," Syarifuddin explained.

Syarifuddin said he arrived at the conclusion after thorough
research under the Eijkman Research Center and the America-
Indonesia Medical Resources (AIMR) using the method of biology
molecular technique for malaria.

"Almost 100 percent of malaria patients tested across the
country find their illness is resistant to croloquin (krolokuin)
which is made from quinine, because the malaria bacteria had also
undergone an almost 90 percent gene alteration," he explained.

Besides gene mutation, irregular usage or an overdose of drugs
used to treat malaria is also a factor to people not responding
to the drugs, he said.

Syarifuddin suggested that the use of croloquin be combined
with tetracycline to balance the bacteria's mutation process.
(27/edt)