08/11/02 09:47:27
There are several drugs that can be used to treat malaria.
Chloroquine was the main one for many years, but malaria parasites in some areas have developed immunity to this drug, and so it is ineffective in these places.
Also, many people infected with malaria live in poor, isolated areas with no access to drugs or no money to buy them.
Malaria can be prevented by taking drugs-usually smaller doses of the drugs used to treat the disease.
However, this is rarely practicable for the inhabitants of malarial areas because of their cost and the possible side effects of long-term use.
The use of these drugs is normally restricted to affluent visitors to malaria-prone regions.
Draining swampy areas in southern Europe and the U.S. where mosquitoes breed has reduced or eliminated mosquitoes in some areas.
Insecticides have also been effective, but they have long-term effects on the environment.
In the mid-20th century, there were hopes that malaria, like smallpox, could be completely eliminated, but this is now thought to be impossible.