WHO Prequalifies First Malaria Treatment for Newborns and Infants, Enhancing Diagnostic Tests
Ahead of World Malaria Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) has prequalified the first-ever malaria treatment specifically designed for newborns and infants weighing between two and five kilograms. This new formulation, artemether-lumefantrine, addresses the needs of the youngest malaria patients, who previously had to rely on treatments meant for older children, posing risks of dosing errors and side effects. The prequalification ensures the medicine meets international standards of quality, safety, and efficacy, facilitating public sector procurement and closing a treatment gap for approximately 30 million babies born annually in malaria-endemic regions of Africa. Additionally, WHO has prequalified three new rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) to tackle emerging challenges in malaria diagnosis, particularly in regions where the malaria parasite has lost the gene for the HRP2 protein, leading to false-negative results. These new tests target a different protein, pf-LDH, ensuring accurate diagnosis and treat... 
