A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has delivered a striking insight into the global fight against malaria. Ivermectin—a widely used antiparasitic drug—has been shown to reduce malaria incidence by 26% in a large-scale trial conducted in Kenya. While ivermectin’s role in treating diseases like river blindness and elephantiasis is well-known, its impact on malaria prevention opens the door to a new, complementary strategy in high-risk regions. The finding is especially significant as malaria control efforts face stagnation due to growing resistance to traditional tools like insecticide-treated nets.

Malaria remains one of the deadliest diseases globally, with nearly 600,000 deaths and over 260 million cases reported in 2023 alone. Africa accounts for the vast majority of these cases, where bed nets and indoor spraying have long been the frontline defense. But here’s the problem: mosquitoes are adapting. Insecticide resistance is on the rise, and some species have shifted behavior, biting outdoors or at times when nets offer no protection.

The need for an alternative, preferably one that can work alongside existing tools, is urgent. Enter ivermectin.

How Ivermectin Works Against Malaria?

Ivermectin doesn’t target the malaria parasite itself. Instead, it turns humans into mosquito killers.

Here’s how: when a person takes ivermectin, the drug circulates in their bloodstream for several days. If a mosquito bites that person during that window, the drug is toxic to the mosquito. This reduces the mosquito population and, by extension, cuts malaria transmission.

This “endectocide” approach—targeting parasites both inside and outside the body—adds an entirely different layer to malaria control.

The BOHEMIA (Broad One Health Endectocide-based Malaria Intervention in Africa) trial is the largest study to date exploring ivermectin’s impact on malaria. Led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), the study took place in Kwale County, a malaria-endemic region of coastal Kenya where the use of insecticide-treated bed nets is already high. Here’s what the researchers did:

84 clusters of households were randomly assigned to receive either ivermectin or a control drug (albendazole).

Participants (nearly 29,000 people in total) were given their respective drugs once a month for three months during the region’s rainy season, when malaria transmission spikes.

Researchers then tracked malaria infection rates specifically in children aged 5 to 15, testing them monthly for six months.

Children in the ivermectin group had 2.20 malaria infections per child-year, compared to 2.66 in the control group—a 26% relative reduction.

What stood out in the findings was the gradient effect—the farther a child lived from the border of the study clusters, the stronger the protection. This points to a community-wide benefit, not just an individual one. In simpler terms, the more people around you who take ivermectin, the less likely you are to get malaria.

The protective effect also met and surpassed the World Health Organization’s minimum efficacy threshold, which recommends at least a 20% reduction in infection lasting one month after treatment.

Dr. Carlos Chaccour, co-principal investigator of the study, called the results “thrilling,” adding that ivermectin “could complement existing control measures.” His colleague, Dr. Regina Rabinovich, emphasized the drug’s potential in areas where traditional tools are beginning to fail.

Safety is always a sticking point with mass drug administration. But in this trial, ivermectin had a favorable safety profile, consistent with its use in other public health campaigns against neglected tropical diseases.

No serious drug-related adverse events were reported. The few side effects that did appear—such as dizziness or nausea—were mild and short-lived.

This is crucial because any tool proposed for broad-scale use, especially in children, must not only be effective but also safe.

Where Does This Leave Us With Malaria Treatment?

In an accompanying editorial, US-based malaria experts have praised the study as “well-conducted” and “not unexpected.” Noting that ivermectin has long shown potential but hadn’t been tested at this scale until now. He also raised a practical point—future studies may explore longer-acting formulations or more frequent dosing, although delivering such strategies at scale could be challenging.

But he also sounded a sobering note: funding for malaria control programs is being slashed across the globe, including Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Without renewed investment, progress could stall—or worse, reverse.

The study results have already been reviewed by the World Health Organization’s Vector Control Advisory Group, which acknowledged the impact and called for additional studies. National health authorities in Kenya and elsewhere are now considering whether to include ivermectin in their malaria control toolkits.

The BOHEMIA team also hopes this will trigger more large-scale research to evaluate the most effective dosing schedules, combination strategies, and delivery methods.

Ivermectin is not a replacement for bed nets or other established tools but it adds a much-needed weapon to the malaria arsenal, especially in regions where mosquitoes are outsmarting traditional methods.

This trial shows us that with the right strategy, an old drug can offer a new solution to one of the world’s deadliest diseases. As malaria continues to evolve, so must our response. Ivermectin might just be the unexpected ally the global health community needs to push the fight forward.

Travel Restrictions To Canada: The top court of the land, that is the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that travel restrictions were violative of citizen's right, however, are reasonable during "grave emergency" like pandemic.

Travel Restrictions To Canada: What Happened That Led To Supreme Court Ruling?

During May 2020, in early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kimberley Taylor, who was living in Halifax, got the news of her mother Eileen's passing away at the age of 75 of natural causes at St John's, as reported by The Global Mail. Kimberley wanted to attend a small memorial service however was unable to go there due to the Newfoundland government's rejection of her initial request.

The memorial service and the burial was attended by her father, sister and niece. "I was denied the ability to join my family to grieve my mother," she said, as reported.

This is when she along with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association launched a legal challenge. They noted that strict travel restrictions were in violation of the mobility rights within Canada as guaranteed by Section 6 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Last week, on Friday, a nine judge bench in the Supreme Court of Canada provided an expansive view of the Canadians' Charter mobility rights.

Travel Restrictions To Canada: What Did The Canadian Supreme Court Say?

The top court said that while Kimberley's rights were in fact violated by Newfoundland's pandemic rules, these were within the reasonable limits. The court deemed the pandemic travels rules to be in bounds within the reasonable limits on rights and freedoms in Section 1 of the Charter.

Jessica Kuredjian, a lawyer at Cassels in Toronto, as reported by The Global Mail, said, "This is a great ruling, and an important one. It is very human case. It is a great example of where Charter rights impact the real rights of everyday citizens."

The ruling will serve as a precedent for the ambit of government actions and restrictions during potential health emergencies in the future.

In a majority ruling authored by Justices Andromache Karakatsanis and Sheilah Martin, the court noted that early pandemic deaths and scientific uncertainty created an “extraordinarily difficult situation,” requiring swift decisions to protect public health and prevent further loss of life.

The judgment marks the latest major court effort to define the balance between individual freedoms and government authority stemming from pandemic-era actions. Just last month, the Federal Court of Appeal found the federal government’s 2022 use of the Emergencies Act to curb large protests was not legally justified.

Friday’s ruling also adds to the legal interpretation of the 1982 Charter of Rights. While many Charter provisions have been heavily litigated over the years, Section 6 — mobility rights — has rarely been tested in court.

“There really was a dearth of jurisprudence on the topic,” said Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, director of the Civil Liberties Association’s fundamental-freedoms program.

The pandemic travel-restriction case effectively marks the Supreme Court’s first detailed examination of Section 6 as it applies to Canadians’ general freedom of movement within the country.

In their majority opinion, five judges stressed that Charter rights must receive “generous protection.” On mobility rights, they traced the concept back nearly a millennium, linking it to common-law traditions from the 1200s and even earlier “ancient customs.”

North London Measles Outbreak: 34 children have been infected by a "fast spreading" measles outbreak in several north London schools, confirmed health officials. The cases were first confirmed from Enfield in laboratory tests in January, as is reported by the UK Health Security Agency or the UKHSA.

A local GP, as reported by the BBC said that one in fiver children who contracted the illness had been admitted to hospital. The doctor also said that these children "had not been fully immunized".

Families are now asked to ensure that their children are up to date with their immunizations and vaccinations against this highly contagious disease. Measles could cause serious health complications.

North London Measles Outbreak: Who Can Get The Vaccines?

Measles vaccinations for children are available at the school, however, if they missed it, they can also get it at a number of catch-up clinics around the UK. The vaccinations are for free.

Enfield's NHS Ordnance Unity Centre For Health on its website noted that there is a "fast spreading measles outbreak in several schools" across the borough. The infections were confirmed in "at least" seven schools in Enfield, which means there could be more. Some reports also came from neighboring Haringey.

Enfield Councillor Alev Cazimoglu said that current outbreak had "mainly affected children and some have required additional care with a short stay in hospital". She also said, "Vaccination is the most effective way to protect yourself and your family. We urge everyone who is not fully vaccinated to act now."

The 34 cases of Enfield represent over a third of the 96 total cases which were confirmed in England in the first month of this year as per the UKHSA data.

As per the Enfield Council, it is working closely with UKHSA, the NHS and local partners to limit any further spread.

Read: UK Loses Measles Elimination Status: Why Is This Disease Making A Comeback?

North London Measles Outbreak: Who Are At Most Risk?

As per a UKHSA medical practitioner, Dr Vanessa Saliba, as also reported by the BBC, the "big" outbreak is "mostly affecting unvaccinated children under 10 in schools and nurseries". She also added, "Measles is a nasty illness for any child, but for some it can lead to long term complications and tragically death, but is so easily preventable with two doses of the MMRV [measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox] vaccine."

Dr Saliba also suggested children to catch-up with their vaccine schedule in case they have missed it and also urged those travelling abroad over the Easter holidays to check their vaccination status.

North London Measles Outbreak: What Is It And What Are The Symptoms?

Measles is a highly contagious disease. It spreads by coughs or sneezes or by touching things that someone with measles has coughed or sneezed on.

Measles, also known as rubeola, is an extremely contagious viral illness that typically causes high fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes, and a characteristic rash that begins on the face and spreads downward across the body. It spreads through respiratory droplets and can lead to severe and sometimes fatal complications, including pneumonia and inflammation of the brain known as encephalitis.

Symptoms include high fever, sore or red and watery eyes, coughing, sneezing, and small white spots in the mouth.

Two strains of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) have combined with each other to create a new version of the disease, prompting the World Health Organisation to raise an alarm.

According to scientists, the Ib and IIb of MPXV have mutated together, and a case has been found in the UK and India, respectively. The first case was detected in the UK with travel history to a country in South-East Asia, and the second in India, with travel history to a country in the Arabian Peninsula.

Further analysis of each case shows that the two individuals fell ill several weeks apart with the same combined strain. Both cases had similar reported signs and symptoms of the disease and neither experienced severe outcomes.

As of now, these are the only known cases of this version of the virus.

What Is Mpox?

Mpox (formerly monkeypox) is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus. Symptoms usually appear 1-21 days after exposure, and the illness lasts 2–4 weeks. People are considered to be contagious until all scabs have fallen off.

Mostly based in Africa, it was discovered by captive monkeys in 1958, after whom the disease was named in 1970. However, the name attracted many racist comments, especially on social media, where people wrote “the disease of monkeys” and associated it with Africans.

Under WHO guidelines, the naming of diseases must not drive any unnecessary negative impact on trade, travel, tourism or animal welfare, and avoid offending any cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic groups. Thus, the name monkeypox became the ‘m-pox’.

How Can You Detect Mpox?

There are signs and symptoms of M-pox. They start to show within seven to 14 days of being infected. Therefore, for about a week, a person may not know they have m-pox, and they can spread it by travelling.

The earliest signs are getting a fever, sweating and having chills through your body. Other signs involve rashes, which start from a distant rash on the face and spread throughout the body. These rashes can be in different forms, sometimes a flat lesion, bumps, boils or scabs.

Symptoms can also include swollen lymph nodes, migraine, muscle aches, fatigue, weakness and back pain.

How Do You Prevent Mpox?

• Restrict your movement by avoiding going out in public, meeting people and interacting with animals.
• Wear clothes that will prevent skin-to-skin infections.
• Hydrate yourself to get rid of the toxins from your body
• Check if you have received your smallpox vaccination

Doctors also prescribe medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen to treat the pain and fever one may experience after being infected