Acute malaria in children in Madang: endemicity, clinical presentation and treatment
Darlow, B.; Vrbova, H.; Stace, J.
Papua and New Guinea Medical Journal 24(2): 85-95
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0031-1480 PMID: 7039178 Document Number: 173314
The presenting symptoms, mean haemoglobin values and average enlarged spleens of 26 children with Plasmodium vivax malaria and 101 with P. falciparum seen at the outpatient department of Madang Hospital, Papua New Guinea, between June and October 1980, are tabulated and compared with the findings of other surveys in this country. The standard treatment of acute malaria in children and the problem of drug-resistant malaria in Papua New Guinea are considered. Cases of P. vivax and P. malariae malaria continue to be adequately treated with chloroquine or amodiaquine and many cases of treatment failure of P. falciparum malaria may be due to inadequate ingestion of the drug rather than to chloroquine resistance. Guidelines for the treatment of chloroquine-resistant malaria are given.