6 novembre 2009 | EN Jars of seeds and tree bark used in African
traditional medicine. WHO / P. Virot Traditional African herbs
are a vital weapon in the fight against malaria, the 5th MIM Pan
African Malaria Conference heard this week. The medicines could
prevent many deaths among poor people who cannot afford modern
drugs and do not have access to the free treatment available in
some African countries, delegates heard. "More research must be
directed towards finding out the effectiveness of these
traditional medicinal plants and their safety and efficacy
because initiatives on using them could be counter-productive if
this is not done," said Doumbo Ogobara, director of the Mali
Malaria Research and Training Centre and a lecturer at the
University of Bamako. "More emphasis therefore must be laid on
research for plant-based prophylactics for malaria." India was
cited as an example of a developing country that has
successfully used medicinal plants. "Research in India has shown
a 5–10 times reduction in malari