Multidrug resistant malaria spread under the radar for years in Cambodia

The most comprehensive genetic study of malaria parasites in Southeast Asia has shown that resistance to antimalarial drugs was under-reported for years in Cambodia. Researchers have shown that the parasites developed multidrug resistance to first-line treatments extremely rapidly. They found that one main resistant strain had spread aggressively in the five years before clinical resistance was reported. Delays in detecting the spread of resistance could threaten global efforts to eliminate malaria. …read more