Global & Disaster Medicine

Methylene blue & Malaria

NY Times

“……Methylene blue, a dye used to stain tissues viewed under a microscope, can be taken by tablet or injection, and is sometimes used to treat urethral infections and a hemoglobin disorder.

But the dye also kills the malaria parasites in the gametocyte stage, the point at which mosquitoes pick it up from human blood and pass it on to new victims.

Most malaria drugs do not target gametocytes, meaning that someone may still spread the disease for a week or more after treatment……”


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