The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday that as more and more people gain access to the life-saving malaria medicines, it is vital that countries closely monitor their effectiveness.

More than 50 governments have followed WHO's recommendations on malaria treatment and adopted artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). The medicines, which combine a drug derived from the plant Artemisia annua with a second, synthetic drug, are the most effective antimalarial drugs available today.

"Drugs derived from the plant Artemisia annua must be used as ACTs in combination with a second drug, and not alone. Otherwise, the medicines could lose their potency over time due to the development of resistance. This has already happened with other antimalarial drugs in the past," the United Nations health agency said in a report.

To avert resistance, WHO calls on countries to use only WHO-approved ACTs of high quality, since drugs of low potency can promote resistance.

The organization also advises that all people taking antimalarials should be educated about the importance of finishing their medication courses, since incomplete treatment is another cause of resistance.

The report recounts the emergence of resistance to the former mainstays of malaria treatment, such as chloroquine, in most regions of the world, and the ways countries have changed their national policies to keep ahead of the advancing resistance.

It also outlines new standardized methods developed by WHO for monitoring antimalarial drug efficacy and emerging resistance patterns worldwide.

Source: Xinhua