Achan, J., Talisuna, A. O., Erhart, A., Yeka, A., Tibenderana, J. K., Baliraine, F. N., … & D’Alessandro, U. (2011). Quinine, an old anti-malarial drug in a modern world: role in the treatment of malaria. Malaria journal, 10(1), 1.
This article discusses the usefulness of quinine as the gold standard of treatment for malaria across history, its use now and it use in the future. Despite research findings suggesting that other medications may be more effective treatment options implying that quinine should only be an alternative, there are still placed for it as a first line of treatment. For example, in pregnancy quinine is the safest alternative compared to the other options on the market, especially during the first trimester. This article is important to my project because quinine has always had a place in the treatment of malaria and this review suggests it still does..

Bell, D., & Peeling, R. W. (2006). Evaluation of rapid diagnostic tests: malaria. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 4, S34-S38.

This article discusses rapid diagnostic tests (RDT’s) used to detect the presence of parasitic malaria. This type of diagnostic test is relatively new but important for several reasons. It can be used in areas where advanced technology necessary for lab based diagnosis is absent or when there is an inability to control sample storage facilities or to supervise who has access. Areas with these types of conditions, which includes many areas where malaria is a severe problem, benefit from diagnostic tests that are simple to use and interpret, reliable to ensure cases aren’t missed, are quick to avoid unnecessary treatment of those exposed, and stable to insure adverse testing conditions such as climate do not impact results. This article is important to my project because it discusses methods of diagnosis that can be carried out in even areas that are limited in technology and the ability to control the testing process.

Griffith, K. S., Lewis, L. S., Mali, S., & Parise, M. E. (2007). Treatment of malaria in the United States: a systematic review. Jama, 297(20), 2264-2277.

This review examined the diagnosis and treatment of uncomplicated and complex malaria in the U.S. Although malaria has been eradicated in the U.S. it remains a serious infection in many areas of the world. With the increase in travel and globalization, the potential for U.S. citizens to contract the disease have risen dramatically. The article provides a series of recommendations based on where the individual traveled to, and considering the possibility of malaria as a potential diagnosis when there is unexplained fever. It is recommended that the U.S. grow it’s empirical base of information on malaria and treatment, and push harder to obtain access to the newer malaria drugs that currently aren’t available here.

Murray, C. J., Rosenfeld, L. C., Lim, S. S., Andrews, K. G., Foreman, K. J., Haring, D., … & Lopez, A. D. (2012). Global malaria mortality between 1980 and 2010: a systematic analysis. The Lancet, 379(9814), 413-431.
This article examined data regarding deaths from malaria around the world from the year 1989 to 2004. The goals were to create an accurate evaluation of time trends to help evaluate progress toward goals to eliminate outbreaks and deaths from this disease. Results indicated that world-wide deaths went up from 995, 000 in 1980 to a high of 1,817,000 in 2004, back down to 1,238,000 in 2010. Examining malaria in Africa, the hardest hit region for prevalence of this disease, deaths went from 493,000 in 1980 to 1,613,000 in 2004, going back down to 1,133,000 in 2010. Though deaths dropped during the second half of the years examined, the numbers indicated a far higher death rate from malaria than previous believed. Though the rates in Africa especially decreased thanks to donor efforts it was concluded that far greater support would be needed to maintain this decrease. This article is important for my project because it provides a better understanding of the significance of the disease globally.

Price, R. N., Tjitra, E., Guerra, C. A., Yeung, S., White, N. J., & Anstey, N. M. (2007). Vivax malaria: neglected and not benign. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 77(6 Suppl), 79-87.
This article discusses plasmodium vivax malaria, previously thought to be a benign strain of the disease. Yet it has been determined that the disease burden based on this subtype has been grossly underestimated and that the disease caused by this parasite threaten s the lives of 40 percent of the world’s inhabitants. threatens almost 40% of the world’s population, resulting in 132–391 million clinical While most cases are located in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific, a significant number of cases are also found in Africa and South America. Due to the lack of reliable diagnosis of this type of the disorder, lack of control treatments and the fast emergence of resistance to medications, there has been little progress in treating this disorder. This article is important for my project because it provides information on a different subtype of malaria that is not being effectively diagnosed or treated.

Rottmann, M., McNamara, C., Yeung, B. K., Lee, M. C., Zou, B., Russell, B. & Cohen, S. B. (2010). Spiroindolones, a potent compound class for the treatment of malaria. science, 329(5996), 1175-1180.
This article discusses the development of a new drug for the treatment of malaria. While derivatives of the endoperoxide artemisinin had been the sole antimalarial medications that were effective in all malaria-endemic regions, in more recent years it was found that resistance had begun building. In order to overcome this resistance new drugs are being developed that use recognized antimalarial pharmacophores that are chemically changed to combat the weaknesses found in the previous generation of the drug. Yet it is suggested that finding new antimalarial medications would be more beneficial. Using libraries from across the world to screen chemical based studies, results indicated that drugs that suppress protein synthesis in the parasites provided the most promising direction for a new class of medications. This article is important for my project because it provides an indication of why there hasn’t been as fast decrease in malaria as expected and gives information on potential new medications that could work better.