Fighting Malaria: The Army's New Weapon Against a Killer
- 14 years ago
Physician Scientist Peter Weina and his team at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research have declared war on the world's most deadly disease, Malaria.
Malaria kills over six million people each year, most of them in South America, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. It is a nasty disease caused by a tiny protozoa and transmitted by mosquitoes. The current treatment is a 300 year old drug named quinine and it doesn't work very well.
The scientists turned to a common weed, Sweet Wormwood, and found a compound that kills the Malaria protozoa. And now, after eight years of chemical engineering and testing, they have an amazing new drug, Artesunate. People are getting better virtually before your eyes! says Dr. Weina.
Malaria kills over six million people each year, most of them in South America, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. It is a nasty disease caused by a tiny protozoa and transmitted by mosquitoes. The current treatment is a 300 year old drug named quinine and it doesn't work very well.
The scientists turned to a common weed, Sweet Wormwood, and found a compound that kills the Malaria protozoa. And now, after eight years of chemical engineering and testing, they have an amazing new drug, Artesunate. People are getting better virtually before your eyes! says Dr. Weina.