How an ancient remedy became a modern cure for malaria

In this video, we learn that, during the Sixties, drug-resistant strains of malaria emerged, making the disease even deadlier than before. But then, pharmaceutical scientist Tu Youyou discovered a promising new remedy buried within the pages of ancient Chinese texts.

Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite. The parasite is spread to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes. People who have malaria usually feel very sick with a high fever and shaking chills.

While the disease is uncommon in temperate climates, malaria is still common in tropical and subtropical countries. Each year nearly 290 million people are infected with malaria, and more than 400,000 people die of the disease.

To reduce malaria infections, world health programmes distribute preventive drugs and insecticide-treated bed nets to protect people from mosquito bites.

View the original video here.

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