A drug-resistant malaria parasite discovered in Myanmar, could spread and threaten other countries such as India.
The Times of India has reported that parts of the country are facing the threat after a parasite in nearby Myanmar was found to be resistant to the artemisinin drug.
"We are facing the imminent threat of resistance spreading into India, with thousands of lives at risk," said professor Mike Turner, head of infection & immunobiology at Britain-based Wellcome Trust.
The New York Times noted that a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal on Friday found that the resistance to artemisinin "extends across much of Myanmar." One area is just 15 miles from the Indian border.
At this point, scientists have not yet come up with a substitute for artemisinin treatment.
Malaria is an intermittent fever caused by a protozoan parasite. It is transmitted by mosquitoes in many tropical and subtropical regions.
The disease was eradicated in the U.S., but is still a problem in other parts of the world.