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Malaria Medicine for Infants Approved
By: Hunter Han
The first malaria treatment for babies and young children, developed by the company Novartis, has been approved.
Novartis is a company that plans to introduce the medicine in a way that doesn’t make a profit. In other words, healthcare specifically for malaria, will become more accessible for the public.
Mosquitoes pass along malaria, a dangerous or even deadly disease. If not treated quickly, it can be fatal. Malaria, most common in Africa, is caused by a type of infected mosquito called Anopheles, which is most active at night. The mosquitoes are also a huge issue throughout not just Africa, but also Asia and South America, making it a widespread issue.
However, if you don’t get bitten by that infected mosquito, you won’t get malaria. Malaria is non-contagious, meaning that it doesn’t easily spread from person to person. It is most harmful to young children and babies, who are also the last ones to get treatment made specifically for them.
This new medicine, named Coartem <5kg Baby, should be taken as a tablet two times a day. However, it's only to be consumed with a doctor's prescription, and usually the prescription will specify the dose.
There have previously been ways to treat malaria for children, but not young children and babies, who used to use the same medicine as older children. These methods are unreliable and even dangerous. Using medicine designed for older children can be harmful since the babies’ livers have not been fully developed, meaning the babies’ bodies will process the medicine differently than how the medicine is supposed to be absorbed.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended a certain vaccine for malaria in October 2016, and since then, the number of lives claimed by this disease has decreased. The newly developed medicine for babies will shield them against malaria, a deadly disease caused by infected mosquitoes. Novartis’ chief executive, Vas Narasimhan, said that this moment was important, since this is the start of the time when babies will get protection against malaria, at last.
Resources :
“First malaria treatment approved for babies,” BBC News, 11 July 2025, https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/crmvdrg9p7lo

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Hunter Han