Failure of Chloroquine Treatment to Prevent Malaria in Americans in West Africa

6 November 1987

journal article
letter
Published by American Medical Association (AMA) in JAMA

Vol. 258 (17) , 2376-2377
https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1987.03400170062019

Abstract

To the Editor.— Since chloroquineresistant falciparum (CRPF) malaria was first reported in Africa in 1978,¹ it has spread steadily westward and is now well established in coastal Benin.² Confirmed reports of CRPF malaria west of Benin are limited to a single case in Ghana³ and reports of decreased sensitivity to chloroquine therapy in patients with Plasmodium falciparum from Gambia⁴ and Senegal.⁵ A study of Togolese children in 1985 showed that administration of 10 mg/kg of chloroquine base was highly effective in eliminating parasites from the blood.⁶ We now report five cases of P falciparum among expatriates in Togo who had taken regular chloroquine prophylaxis (300 mg of base per week). Study.— The five patients were American Peace Corps volunteers (PCVs) between the ages of 20 and 40 years who had been living in Togo for more than six months. None had traveled to

Keywords

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: