RFI: Malaria Chemoprophylaxis (2)
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Hi James,
I don't know exactly the type of research you are planning but I
think you should be aware that the WHO has recommended that we pay
less emphasis to Malaria chemoprophylaxis as this has not been shown
to be very effective in stemming the tide of malaria in endemic ar-
eas. In pregnancy for example, WHO's three-pronged recommendations
are: intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) with SP, use of insecti-
cide-treated bednets and case management with effective drugs out-
lined in individual country guidelines.
The spread of chloroquine resistant malaria parasites is a big chal-
lenge to malaria chemoprophylaxis. Perhaps you will be interested in
operations research that will increase access to IPT and ITNs in low-
resource settings. Use of these in pregnant women has been associated
with decreased incidence of fever attacks, higher haemoglobin levels
at birth, reduced incidence of low birth weight babies, increased
mean birth weights and decreased maternal and infant mortality and
morbidity. For IPT it is recommended that pregnant women take monthly
doses of SP after 16th weeks of pregnancy during antenatal clinic at-
tendance. You may wish to consult the WHO for more information on the
guidelines.
'Dipo Otolorin
JHPIEGO Corporation
mailto:eotolorin@jhpiego.org
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