Suppressive chemoprophylaxis invites avoidable risk of serious illness caused by Plasmodium vivax malaria.

Journal article

Despite inadequacy in preventing vivax malaria after travel, suppressive chemoprophylaxis has dominated travel medicine strategy since the advent of chloroquine in 1946. The lethal threat of falciparum malaria versus the perceived benign consequence of vivax malaria underpins this strategic posture. Recent evidence demonstrating vivax malaria as often pernicious should prompt reconsideration of that posture. Causal prophylaxis kills early developing forms of plasmodia in the liver, thus preve...

Expand abstract

Authors: Baird, J

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Travel medicine and infectious disease
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 60-65
• Publication date: 2013-01-01
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2013.01.002
• EISSN: 1873-0442
• ISSN: 1477-8939
• Language: English
• Keywords: Chemoprevention; Malaria, Vivax; Severity of Illness Index; Pregnancy; Humans; Risk Factors; Male; Travel Medicine; Primaquine; Female; Plasmodium vivax; Antimalarials