A molecular surveillance of malaria in Tanzania (MSMT) survey was conducted in 2021 in 13 regions with different malaria transmission rates.
A total of 7,666 samples were collected and analyzed for drug resistance markers.
Presenting the study findings during a symposium at American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) conference 2023 in Chicago, USA, the Principal Investigator, Dr. Deus Ishengoma, reported that k13 561H mutations were detected in Kagera and Tabora regions in 2021.
Dr. Ishengoma commented that this raised an alarm of the emergence of artemisinin partial resistance and that artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) efficacy is under threat; and that, the findings prompted a special TES which confirmed artemisinin partial resistance in Tanzania based on WHO criteria.
Both drugs had good safety profiles and adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR) was above 90%.
Furthermore, the Principal Investigator reported that mutations are spreading to other districts and may have potentially reached other regions in the country, and recommended that artemisinin containment strategies are urgently needed in Tanzania
Malaria molecular surveillance (MMS) using methods that can screen large sample size are needed to support continued MMS
Malaria# Control# #Tanzania