Publication: Characterization of "Yaa Chud" medicine on the Thailand-Myanmar border: Selecting for drug-resistant malaria and threatening public health
Issued Date
2008-11-01
Resource Type
ISSN
00029637
Other identifier(s)
2-s2.0-55849144034
Rights
Mahidol University
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Vol.79, No.5 (2008), 662-669
Suggested Citation
Paul N. Newton, Christina Y. Hampton, Krystyn Alter-Hall, Thanongsak Teerwarakulpana, Sompol Prakongpan, Ronnatrai Ruangveerayuth, Nicholas J. White, Nicholas P.J. Day, Mabel B. Tudino, Natalia Mancuso, Facundo M. Fernández Characterization of "Yaa Chud" medicine on the Thailand-Myanmar border: Selecting for drug-resistant malaria and threatening public health. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Vol.79, No.5 (2008), 662-669. Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/19285
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Authors
Journal Issue
Thesis
Title
Characterization of "Yaa Chud" medicine on the Thailand-Myanmar border: Selecting for drug-resistant malaria and threatening public health
Abstract
Multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria is a severe public health problem on the Thailand-Myanmar border. Many villagers buy packets of 4-5 mixed medicines ("yaa chud") from shops without medical assessment as their first-line malaria treatment. In 2000-2001 a local researcher purchased 50 yaa chud from 44 shops around Mae Sot, Thailand and Myawaddy, Myanmar (Burma), for his wife who was said to be pregnant with fever and drowsiness. The tablets/capsules were provisionally identified by appearance and active ingredients determined in a subset by using mass and atomic spectrometry. The most frequently detected active ingredients were acetaminophen (22%), chlorpheniramine (13.4%), chloroquine (12.6%), tetracycline/doxycycline (11.4%), and quinine (5.1%). Only seven bags contained potentially curative medicine for malaria. A total of 82% of the bags contained medicines contraindicated in pregnancy. Inappropriate, ineffective antimalarial drugs on the Thailand-Myanmar border are likely to increase malaria morbidity, mortality and health costs and engender the emergence and spread of antimalarial drug resistance. Copyright © 2008 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.