Escalating <i>Plasmodium falciparum K13</i> marker prevalence indicative of artemisinin resistance in southern Rwanda

Abstract

In 2023, we updated data collected since 2010 on <i>Plasmodium falciparum K13</i> and <i>MDR1</i> drug resistance markers in Huye district, southern Rwanda. Artemisinin resistance-associated <i>PfK13</i> markers occurred in 17.5% of 212 malaria patients (561H, 9.0%; 675V, 5.7%; and 469F, 2.8%), nearly double the frequency from 2019. <i>PfMDR1</i> N86, linked with lumefantrine tolerance, was close to fixation at 98%. In southern Rwanda, markers signaling resistance to artemisinin and lumefantrine are increasing, albeit at a relatively slow rate.