Characterization of “Yaa Chud” Medicine on the Thailand-Myanmar Border: Selecting for Drug-resistant Malaria and Threatening Public Health

P. NEWTON; C. HAMPTON; K. ALTER-HALL; T. TEERWARAKULPANA; S. PRAKONGPAN; R. RUANGVEERAYUTH; N. WHITE; N. DAY; M. TUDINO; N. MANCUSO; F. FERNÁNDEZ

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Año: 2008 vol. 79 p. 662 - 669

0002-9637

Abstract Background. Multi-drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria is a severe public health problem on the Thai-Burma border. Many villagers buy small packets of 4-5 drugs (‘yaa chud’) from shops without prescription or medical assessment, as their first line of treatment for malaria. These drugs are unlikely to be curative and probably harm public health and engender antimalarial drug resistance. Hence, their sale is illegal under Thai law. However, the sale of these yaa chud has persisted and to date, there has not been a widespread investigation of the contents in these packets.