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The African continent continues to bear the greatest burden of malaria and the greatest diversity of parasites, mosquito vectors, and human victims. The evolutionary plasticity of malaria parasites and their vectors is a major obstacle to eliminating the disease. Of current concern is the recently reported emergence of resistance to the front-line drug, artemisinin, in South-East Asia in Plasmodium falciparum, which calls for preemptive surveillance of the African parasite population for genetic markers of emerging drug resistance. Here we describe the Plasmodium Diversity Network Africa (PDNA), which has been established across 11 countries in sub-Saharan Africa to ensure that African scientists are enabled to work together and to play a key role in the global effort for tracking and responding to this public health threat.

Original publication

DOI

10.1126/science.1259423

Type

Journal article

Journal

Science

Publication Date

12/09/2014

Volume

345

Pages

1297 - 1298

Keywords

Africa South of the Sahara, Animals, Anopheles, Antimalarials, Artemisinins, Disease Eradication, Drug Resistance, Epidemiological Monitoring, Genetic Variation, Humans, Malaria, Falciparum, Plasmodium falciparum