UCT may have found cure for Malaria

**Apocalypse** · 2012/08/28, 06:51 PM

Originally Posted by MikeAG

Keeping a few million people alive makes not a single jot of difference to the population. To affect the population you have to alter the birth-rate, not the death rate. There is universal acknowledgement of this, and warehouses full of science to back it up. If you want fewer people on the planet you have to reduce poverty, and educate and empower women.

Let's not derail a great-news thread with population control issues....

Very true, Very true and sorry

I'm a cynical old bugger

Although I do think the birth rate problem is about educating men.

Or at least snippin' 'em..,

**Apocalypse** · 2012/08/28, 06:56 PM

Originally Posted by Gaitshi Gubib

... teach the masses in Africa THAT IT IS SIMPLY NOT ON to have 12 children

Now Chris, for that I have little hope, yes, I'm being pessimistic, but with reason I think.

(anders gestel, ek dink jou hoop is 'n mishoop)

MikeAG mentions three points:
I can agree, but success so far, has been to say the least, very limited, except for #3 perhaps, to some extent.

#3 the President of the biggest economy in southern Africa is very progressive in his views about women's role in society.

**OFFROAD ADDICT** · 2012/08/28, 06:58 PM

Originally Posted by Apocalypse

Very true, Very true and sorry

I'm a cynical old bugger

Although I do think the birth rate problem is about educating men.

Or at least snippin' 'em..,

Well this opens a whole new chapter for Kinglsy Holgate. Instead of nets now, vasectomy's.
How that for contributing to mankind's well being.
With less deaths due to mossies, tourism increases, lets hope its the beginning for a better life for all in the area....Education, medical and so on

**Tweeling** · 2012/08/28, 07:57 PM

yes people might jump up and down about the news but a LOT of research as in testing on humans still has to be done to successfully get the product on the market. when replacement blood valves were put into humans they had to take warfarin to prevent clotting of the blood but one big negative of the warfarin is that it causes side effects as with so many other medications. a couple of years ago it was mentioned there is going to be an alternative for warfarin with much less side affects - it still has not reached the shelves!
So personally I would not get too excited but wait.
just m2c

**Tony Weaver** · 2012/08/28, 08:15 PM

I haven't been near any news sources today, as I've been dealing with family issues, but my understanding from what I've heard is that this is a compound that will go to human clinical trials in 2013 and is a SINGLE dose cure for malaria, rather than a multiple dose of combination therapies. Malaria is currently curable, but through combination therapy and at great expense, relatively speaking, for poor economies. What I have heard is that this is a cheap, once off cure, which can be stocked in rural clinics. As such, it is a massive breakthrough if if the clinical trials prove out.

**Apocalypse** · 2012/08/28, 08:32 PM

It is good news. I'll apologize again for my earlier cynicism. I am generally opposed to methods that defeat Darwinism...

Not to take away from the enormity of a discovery like this. It's right up there with A cure for AIDS - huge achievement...

**gunhog** · 2012/08/28, 08:54 PM

Overpopulation is the biggest threat lurking just below the radar of Mr Joe Average.

The resistance of HIV to current drug regimes are staggering.

First two cases of total drug resistant TB has been reported in KZN, this is not a joke but a serious threat to health care providers, families of affected ect....

Cure for malaria has been out there for decades maybe not as a single drug dose but the real reason for a mortality rate is cost per treatment.

But this is not gonna make a dent in the population.

I applaud the scientists for a breakthru - but if a dictatorship like China could not curb their population growth with one child per family we are gonna be in for a rough ride before we hit the pearly gates.......

Apoc I suggest a discussion at the little German pub at Somerset West ASAP to catch up.

**Apocalypse** · 2012/08/28, 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by gunhog

Overpopulation is the biggest threat lurking just below the radar of Mr Joe Average.

The resistance of HIV to current drug regimes are staggering.

First two cases of total drug resistant TB has been reported in KZN, this is not a joke but a serious threat to health care providers, families of affected ect....

Cure for malaria has been out there for decades maybe not as a single drug dose but the real reason for a mortality rate is cost per treatment.

But this is not gonna make a dent in the population.

I applaud the scientists for a breakthru - but if a dictatorship like China could not curb their population growth with one child per family we are gonna be in for a rough ride before we hit the pearly gates.......

Apoc I suggest a discussion at the little German pub at Somerset West ASAP to catch up.

It's been a hard winter.

I may have become even more jaded.

German beer sounds good...

**cwm** · 2012/08/28, 09:06 PM

While this may be a single shot cure, it will not prevent malaria. The use of nets for deep rural communities that may not have access to new wonder drugs will remain a reality. I reckon Kingsley still has a job to do...

**Gaitshi Gubib** · 2012/08/28, 09:40 PM

The fight with malaria has been going, well, dr. Siegfried Annecke in the early 1930s has been at 'eradicating' malaria.

Siegfried Annecke: In the early 1930s malaria was an extremely serious problem in the district and it was reported that the annual number of patients needing treatment for malaria averaged over 4,000 at that time. A major campaign was waged against this disease and Dr Siegfried Annecke was in the forefront of this battle. Largely through his efforts the incidence of malaria decreased steadily and by 1966 no cases at all were reported in the district. Unfortunately, the health officials at the time ignored Dr Annecke's warning that the war was not yet over and the anti malaria effort was substantially reduced. Malaria returned and in 1972 over 2,000 cases were reported. The disillusioned Dr Annecke took his own life as he felt that his work had been to no avail. The research Institute in Tzaneen, which today is involved in both malaria and bilharzia research, carries the name of Siegfried Annecke.

But "Swambo Anopheles" will remain victorious it seems !

We lived in the Tzaneen area for some twelve years and I cannot recall us giving special attention to the threat of malaria, we were more concerned with bilharzia.

**ChrisLab** · 2012/08/28, 10:06 PM

Originally Posted by Gaitshi Gubib

... teach the masses in Africa THAT IT IS SIMPLY NOT ON to have 12 children

Now Chris, for that I have little hope, yes, I'm being pessimistic, but with reason I think.

(anders gestel, ek dink jou hoop is 'n mishoop)

MikeAG mentions three points:
I can agree, but success so far, has been to say the least, very limited, except for #3 perhaps, to some extent.

Ja johan, die hoenders het al klaar by my hoop gekom en dit uit mekaar gekrap

Chris.

**hbannink** · 2012/08/29, 01:33 AM

Originally Posted by ChrisF

so what will Holgate do now .....

There is an old saying "prevention is better than cure" With a killer disease like malaria I would place my money that he will still do his net thing and if this lot is as good as I hope it is he might even carry a few boxes of the cure as well.
Malaria is a horrible disease and something I do not wish upon my worst enemy, any advance and addition in the fight against it is welcome

**Elders** · 2012/08/29, 06:48 AM

Listened to some experts on the radio this morning discussing this.

IF the trials are positive these meds can hit the shelves in 2020 !!

The meds are aimed at a very specific secment of the life cycle of the malaria paracite. I am now wondering what happens when you take it BEFORE entering a malaria area ... Similarly, with malaria often mis diagnosed as flue, and only "discovered" at a late stage ... will these meds still be effective, or is it too late in the life cycle of the paracite ?

**OFFROAD ADDICT** · 2012/08/29, 06:55 AM

Now for the testing on humans. Who are the guinea pigs going to be, i wonder if they will be paid much

**Noordhoeknic** · 2012/08/29, 07:02 AM

Originally Posted by Henris

That was my next question.

But then again. They will easily fit 2 million tablets in a Defender.

I still would like to know how they fit all those mozzie nets into a Defender?

Haha....Sadly, A good percentage of those mozzie nets ended up being turned into gill nets for fishing - the mesh being so fine that nothing survives.