Malaria bug seen as fatal
Plasmodium vivax, a strain of malaria thought to be mild and non-life-threatening is potentially fatal, according to a new study. Two malaria strains, P. vivax and P. falciparum, affect humans. The latter, the dominant strain in Africa, is considered to be more virulent and deadlier. But P. vivax accounts for 400 million cases every year in Asia, with about 300 cases reported annually in patients returning to Australia from malaria endemic countries. In Indonesia, the parasite has developed resistance to standard treatments.