Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine for the Treatment of Acute Malaria in Children in Papua New Guinea

I. Plasmodium falciparum

Brian Darlow Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang General Hospital, P.O. Box 378, Madang, Papua New Guinea

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Helena Vrbova Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang General Hospital, P.O. Box 378, Madang, Papua New Guinea

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Sean Gibney Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang General Hospital, P.O. Box 378, Madang, Papua New Guinea

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Damien Jolley Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang General Hospital, P.O. Box 378, Madang, Papua New Guinea

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John Stace Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang General Hospital, P.O. Box 378, Madang, Papua New Guinea

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Michael Alpers Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang General Hospital, P.O. Box 378, Madang, Papua New Guinea

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.1982.31.1
Volume/Issue:
Volume 31: Issue 1
Page(s):
1–9
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Chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria is increasing in prevelance in Papua New Guinea and alternative therapies for acute malaria are being sought. A trial of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine for the treatment of acute falciparum malaria in children has been carried out in Madang, Papua New Guinea. Eighty-five children were treated with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, either alone or in combination with a single 10 mg/kg dose of chloroquine. Of 78 children completing 28-days follow-up, treatment failures occurred in 15 (19.2%) and of these, 8 (10.3%), are believed to be sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistant; the others remain equivocal. There was no advantage in this study in combining a single dose of chloroquine with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine; indeed, this combination was associated with an increased incidence of vomiting. It is argued that sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine should not become the standard presumptive treatment for acute malaria in Papua New Guinea.

Author Notes

Present address: Department of Paediatrics, Christchurch Hospital, Private Bag, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Copyright:
Copyright © 1982 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 1982
Accepted:
28 Mar 1981
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Published Online:
Jan 1982
Cover The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Print ISSN:
0002-9637
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