PHA-Exchange> BURUNDI: Government launches new malaria medicine

[George Lessard (s)]

Begin forwarded message:

From: IRIN <IRIN at irinnews.org>
Date: Tue Nov 11, 2003  12:06:45  PM America/Winnipeg
Subject: BURUNDI: Government launches new malaria medicine

BURUNDI: Government launches new malaria medicine

BUJUMBURA, 11 November (IRIN) - The government of Burundi launched a 
new malaria treatment, a combination therapy of artesunate and 
amodiaquine, on Monday, and announced the stoppage of chloroquine and 
fansidar, which have become resistant to the disease.

"The new medicine will be available in all public hospitals and health 
centres," Dr Jean Kamana, the health minister, said during the official 
launch in the capital, Bujumbura.

"We will do whatever possible to have sufficient stocks so that private 
hospitals and pharmacies should get their supplies from our stock," he 
said.

He said the new therapy was being introduced after studies showed that 
chloroquine and fansidar had failed to cure more than 25 percent of 
patients.

"Studies done on the molecules originating from artesinine, a 
combination of artesunate and amodiaquine, show that the combination of 
the two medicines was powerful in more than 95 percent of patients," he 
said.

He added that the government would avail the drugs at affordable prices 
because they were expensive in private pharmacies. Artesunate costs 
between 6,000 and 7,000 francs (US $6 and $7), and amodiaquine costs a 
similar amount, he said.

UNICEF said that the launch of the new medicine was part of the global 
"Roll Back Malaria Plan", and that Burundi was one of the first 
countries in Africa to introduce the therapy.

The agency reported on Tuesday that it, together with WHO, was helping 
the government introduce the treatment, which is supported by several 
donors such as the Belgium government, the EU, the British Foreign 
Development and Assistance Office and the US Agency for International 
Development (USAIDS).

"We took into account the economic situation of the population, our 
people are very poor, the economy has been affected by the war; the 
government is going to subsidise," Kamana said.

He added that the government would mobilise funds from its traditional 
donor partners, including the Belgium, the EU, the UN Children's Fund, 
the UN World Health Organization, the UN Office for the Coordination of 
Humanitarian Affairs and NGO such as Medecins Sans Frontieres and 
others, to fight malaria.

A dose of the new medicine for children aged under five years costs 100 
francs ($0.1) and 200 francs ($0.2) for adults and children aged more 
than five years. "It is an obligation, all hospital attendants must 
respect this decision," Kamana said.

Malaria is the leading cause of mortality in Burundi, killing more 
people than AIDS or war. At least 50 percent of medical consultations 
in the country concern malaria patients. It is particularly common in 
pregnant women and children aged under five years, especially those 
living in camps for the displaced.


[ENDS]

[This Item is Delivered to the "Africa-English" Service of the UN's IRIN
humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or
to change your keywords, contact e-mail: Irin at ocha.unon.org or Web:
http://www.irinnews.org . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by 
commercial
sites requires written IRIN permission.]

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 
2003

To make changes to or cancel your subscription visit:
http://www.irinnews.org/subscriptions

U N I T E D  N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)

---

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Via / Excerpted / By / From / Thanks to:

http://www.irinnews.org

(c)info
http://tinyurl.com/jkkw
http://members.tripod.com/~media002/disclaimer.htm
Due to the nature of email & the WWW, check ALL sources.
http://tinyurl.com/h4m7
http://media002.tripod.com/
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
(Gandhi)