Malaria must figure high on the social agenda of every African nation, and better yet, every African government must be pressured to do something about it. Malaria is poised to erase the meager progress Africa has painfully made this century. The malaria parasite comes in different strains. Unfortunately for Africa, the prevalent strain in Africa is showing resistance to available drugs raising fears that this disease could claim millions of lives in the near future. Many reasons are advanced by scientists to explain the growing resistance of the malaria parasite to drugs such as chloroquine.
Climatic change is advanced as one reason.
The use of pesticide is seen as another cause of the increased drug resistance. It is fair to say, however, that drug resistance is not well understood, even though it is becoming a common phenomenon in many regions of the world. Nine out of 10 deaths occur in Africa or more precisely in sub-saharan Africa. It is therefore essentially an African disease. And make no mistake, in the centers of medical research of the West it is perceived as such, which explains why only meager budgetary resources are allocated to combat this deadly disease.