Sustained protection against mortality and morbidity from malaria in rural Gambian children by chemoprophylaxis given by village health workers.

Journal article

Mortality and morbidity from malaria were measured in children for a one-year period in a rural area of The Gambia 3-4 years after the introduction of a primary health care programme into some villages in the study area. Among children resident in primary health care villages who received treatment for febrile illnesses from a village health worker resident in their village there was no reduction in overall mortality or in morbidity from malaria compared with levels found in villages without a primary health care worker. However, among children aged 3-59 months who received malaria chemoprophylaxis from a village health worker in addition to treatment there was a 49% reduction in mortality and a 73% reduction in attacks of clinical malaria. The level of protection against malaria achieved by chemoprophylaxis given by village health workers 3-4 years after the chemoprophylaxis programme was started was as high as that obtained shortly after the introduction of the primary health care programme.

Authors: Menon, A; Snow, R; Byass, P; Greenwood, B; Hayes, R

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
• Volume: 84
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 768-772
• Publication date: 1990-01-01
• DOI: 10.1016/0035-9203(90)90071-l
• EISSN: 1878-3503
• ISSN: 0035-9203
• Language: English
• Keywords: Gambia; Patient Compliance; Female; Primary Health Care; Antimalarials; Drug Combinations; Malaria; Dapsone; Rural Population; Pyrimethamine; Child, Preschool; Community Health Aides; Humans; Male