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20 April 2012

Press conference on artemisinin resistance in the Mekong Region

Dear Media Colleagues, The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on nations in the Mekong Region to take urgent action to combat signs of growing resistance in the Region to artemisinin, the frontline drug in the war on malaria. Resistance has been established on the Cambodia-Thailand and Myanmar-Thailand border according to the WHO working definition of artemisinin drug resistance, and is also suspected in central and southern Viet Nam and south-eastern Myanmar. How big a setback is this for the fight against malaria in this part of the world? What can governments do? What can WHO do? Is there now a danger of artemisinin resistance developing outside the Mekong Region, especially in Africa, which has the worlds greatest malaria burden? These are some of the questions experts from WHO, ASEAN and countries in the Mekong Region will discuss with journalists. Date: Tuesday, 24 April 2012 Time: 3:00 pm Place: Crystal Hall 3rd floor Plaza Ath?n?e Hotel, Bangkok 61 Wireless Road (Witthayu) Refreshments will be served from 2:30 pm. Please confirm your participation to Ms Sian Churcher, Information and Knowledge Management, WHO Thailand at churchers@searo.who.int. Thank you. Yours sincerely,

Vismita Gupta-Smith Public Information and Advocacy Officer for Regional Director