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Thailand turns out to be the most dangerous tourist destination

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
 
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13 April 2012, 12:57

In Thailand, according to epidemiologists, malaria parasites that are not sensitive to artemisinin, an antimalarial drug, are spreading very quickly. Previously discovered resistant strains of malaria plasmodia have caused panic among scientists. If they reach Africa, the disease will mow down a significant part of the population, since this region accounts for about 90% of deaths due to malaria.

The first time that resistance to artemisinin increased was detected in parasites in Cambodia in 2006, these parasites have now spread to the border with Thailand.

Nicholas White of the Mahidol Institute in Bangkok and his colleagues tested 3,200 patients from hospitals on Thailand's western border for resistance. They measured how long it took to reduce the concentration of malaria parasites in the blood by 50%. Using the drug artemisinin, the reduction in parasite concentrations usually occurred within two hours.

At the moment, it will take approximately 5.5 hours for Cambodian patients to do this. Moreover, the parasites have changed at the genetic level and have become much stronger compared to resistant strains in other countries. Scientists intend to find a genetic marker of unique resistance.

And on Thailand's western border, the rate increased from 2.6 hours in 2001 to 3.7 hours in 2010. The number of infections that were suppressed for a fairly long time (6.2 hours or more) increased from 0.6% to 20%. Experts, in particular, associate the increase in the number of cases of infection with resistant parasites with the sale of diluted artemisinin.

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