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The enormous effort and investment to tackle malaria, with a view to eradicating one day be lost if you spread a form of the disease that is resistant to the drugs more accessible and widespread throughout the world, today warned the World Health Organization Health Organization (WHO).

To prevent this from happening, the organization presented a global plan to contain resistance to artemisinin, the plant that provides the basis for conventional treatments for type of malaria that causes more deaths.

“Our greatest weapon is threatened,” said WHO Director General Margaret Chan. That is why a plan is urgently needed because there are no other bad drugs that offer the same level of efficacy and tolerability among patients. In that sense, the organization seeks to intensify and coordinate efforts to prevent the spread of the disease in resistant version.

Chan said that recently it was confirmed that the core of the resistant form of malaria is on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, while another outbreak is suspected in the vast area that crosses the Mekong River.

He explained that the specific objective of the global plan to stop the outbreak presented unresponsive to artemisinin, which is currently controlling your home, and avoid or at least delay, international spread.

In the last decade, the number of malaria cases fell 40% in countries where the disease is endemic, so that in this period were saved 750,000 lives. Progress has been most noticeable since 2006, when widespread use of insecticide-treated nets and artemisinin-based treatments.

Among the objectives that trace the global plan are, first, stop the spread of resistant forms of the parasite, although this “will require additional resources,” said Chan. Specifically, it will take between 10 and $ 20 more per person in areas with confirmed resistance and between 8 and 10 dollars in risk areas, such as the Great Mekong.

WHO also considers it essential to intensify the monitoring and surveillance of resistance, because of the 75 countries should systematically undertake efficacy trials of treatments, only 31 comply with them.

“There is a risk that in the areas not under permanent surveillance of resistance to artemisinin resistance extends seamlessly,” according to the body.

Another key measure is to improve access to diagnostic tests for malaria, so that conventional treatments are applied rationally.

When a person who does not get malaria drugs against the disease-which occurs frequently in Africa in cases of fever, increases the risk that your body creates resistance.

Telemedicine is one of the forces shaping the way we do health in the near future, but not all specialties or areas of medicine will be subject to the same form to the disruptive capacity of the Internet. By not requiring physical contact, mental health is an area of particular interest to researchers in providing telehealth services. That is why this month’s edition of the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) is dedicated to the “E-Mental Health.” Under this term are grouped all uses of It is aimed at improving mental health and treatment of mental disorders. It applies broadly to screening interventions, advocacy, prevention, treatment and prevention of relapse of mental illness, but also the use of electronic medical records, professional education, and research.

Illnesses such as depression are still under diagnosed, under treated and poorly prevented. Although this disorder has a complex relationship with the Internet, low cost interventions massive scale across the web and mobile, without losing specificity while using personalized treatments and will open as a possibility. From Beacon (registration required), we can see not only an extensive list of examples of ICT use in mental health also are ranked according to the strength of the evidence on the effects of the intervention. (Note: not according to how effective the intervention, if not accords to the quantity and quality of evidence that supports it).